


Over a Drink

by MrsEclipse9856



Series: Over a Drink [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fem!Kirk, Female James T. Kirk, Starfleet Academy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-21 14:05:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 49,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2470898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsEclipse9856/pseuds/MrsEclipse9856
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonard gets talked into going out for a drink but his night ends differently then he thought it would. McCoy/Fem!Kirk</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He didn't want to be here, some of his classmates talked him into it. Leonard figured that if he hung out for a little while and then went back to campus, they'd leave him alone about it. He wouldn't say that he was anti-social, he just didn't see the point after his harpy of an ex-wife hung him out to dry. The bar they picked was too loud and too crowded for the southern doctor but he sucked it up and took a seat. The bartender was a polite enough guy who got his bourbon quickly, despite the amount of people in the place. He looked around as he nursed his drink; people younger than him doing ridiculous things for attention. A voice behind him captured his attention, "This doesn't seem like your type of place."

The girl that belonged to the voice was beautiful. Long blonde hair, bright blue eyes and legs that went on for days. She took the seat next to him and the bartender sat a whiskey and a beer in front of her; Leonard has no doubt that she's a regular. "What does my type of place seem like?"

She smiled at his question, "This place it too loud, for starters." He nodded, she had that part right. "

You don't seem to mind."

She chuckled, "This is nothing... trust me. I'm Jim." Jim was an interesting name for a girl.

When he told her as much she laughed, "My dad named me 'James' but he died a few minutes after I was born so my mom decided not to change it. My brother has been calling me 'Jim' since I was little. I guess it's my payback for calling him by his middle name."

He nodded, "Fair enough. I'm Leonard."

She laughed at him, "You don't look like a 'Leonard'."

"Well, what do I look like?"

Jim sized him up slowly, "I don't know. A 'David' maybe." Leonard smiled.

"My dad is 'David'." She smirked and nodded to herself, she was good.

"So, your accent is Georgia, right? What brings you to my fair city?"

Leonard doesn't meet people who can guess where he's from very often, so he answered the lady's question, "Starfleet. I'm a doctor."

"You're a cadet. They won't call you doctor for a while, no matter how long you practiced before," she said with a smirk. How the hell did she know that? The question must've been on his face because she smiled, "I can read people. You're older than your friends. You're a doctor. You're also new to the area. Which means cadet." He hadn't thought about it but she was right.

Now, he was curious, "You from here?"

Jim shrugged, "Depends on how you look at it."

"How do you look at it?" he asked.

She ordered another whiskey and looked at him, "I was born in space. My parents are from Iowa. My adoptive dad is from Mojave but I grew up here, mostly. So, I guess this is my hometown." There was a story behind that but he wasn't going to ask this girl he just met. She shrugged like she didn't care but he knew better.

"Tough subject?"

She smiled, "The toughest. So, why Starfleet?"

He had been asking himself that question for the past few weeks, "My ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All she left me with were my bones. I figure, if she wants this planet, she can have it."

Jim drank some of her beer, "That sucks. You don't seem that bad."

"You just met me. How would you know?"

She smiled, "Like I said, I read people. You seem like the guy who will help someone even if it costs you something. You come off as an ass but you just don't like watching people do dumb shit. You like the simpler things because you know they could be gone tomorrow. How am I doing?"

He ordered another drink, "Not bad, Miss Jim. What about you? What are you into?"

She smiled, "A few things. Engineering, computers, languages... nothing major." That's only part of it but he wasn't gonna call her out. "You wanna get outta here, Leonard?" He thought about it. It had been a while since he went home with a girl but there was something about this one that he couldn't deny.

"Yes." Jim slid out of her seat and grabbed her leather jacket. He went to settle his tab, only to learn that it was already covered. He pulled on his jacket and followed her out of the bar.

Jim's place wasn't that far away from the bar. When they got there she gave him a minute to look around, the place was nice. Her apartment was clean and, aside from some PADDs on her couch, organized. Jim pulled off her jacket, tossed it over a chair and looked at him. Leonard swallowed, his mind went blank as she stepped into his space and kissed him. She tasted like the whiskey she was drinking mixed with peaches and oranges, it was hypnotic. Leonard pulled her closer with a hand on the small of her back and the other tangled in her hair. She pushed the jacket off his shoulders as he moved to kiss, nip and lick her neck. God, she smelled like sunshine and gardenias.

He pinned her against the nearest wall and felt her hands under his shirt; she pulled it over his head. Leonard found the closure on the little, blue dress she was wearing and unzipped it. It fell to the floor and Jim stepped out of it, kicking off her shoes as she did. She unbuckled his pants and pushed them off as he unfastened her bra, "God, you're beautiful."

She smiled before pulling him in for another kiss. Jim pulled him out of the living room and into her bedroom, then she gently pushed him onto her bed. Jim slid out of her underwear and Leonard took in every inch of her toned, tanned, skin. Leonard drew in a breath as Jim wrapped her hand around him. He wasn't gonna last if she kept that up. He flipped them so that he was over her and pulled one of her breasts into his mouth. She tasted so good and Leonard wondered how good the rest of her tasted. He kissed his way down her body, he stopped at the insides of her thighs and looked up at her for approval. She nodded and watched as he slipped his tongue into her. Jim's eyes drifted closed, "Oh... oh."

Leonard placed his hands on her thighs and pushed them wider. He couldn't get enough of her. Her taste, her smell, the way she sounds with his name on her lips. Jim moved against his mouth, he chuckled causing her to moan louder. Leonard could feel the tension growing inside her. He locked eyes with her and pulled her clit into his mouth. She exploded, her body shook with her orgasm. He pulled back enough to watch her. Jim's eyes were closed and she was mumbling his name.

Leonard crawled up her body and pulled her into a soul-searing kiss as he slid into her. He held Jim's hips and pushed deeper into her. Leonard couldn't help but think that if he died right now, he'd be happy. Jim wrapped her legs around his as he stared to move. He wanted to go slow but she moaned his name and begged him to go faster. He continued to thrust in and out of her beautiful body. She tightened around him and came again. Jim was clasped around him, drawing him in and taking him even deeper. In that moment, he went over the edge with her name on his lips.

A few minutes later, after he caught his breath, Leonard rolled them over so she was laying across his chest. He heard her mumble 'whoa' before she drifted off to sleep. Man, he was glad they talked him into going out for that drink.


	2. Chapter 2

Leonard wasn't sure why Pike was so invested in him, but the captain looked out for the doctor even when he didn't have to. Leo -as his family called him- was assigned to a training cruise like a lot of his classmates and Pike managed to pick the ship for him. He was going to an Oberth-class research vessel called the USS Hawking. There were only four decks and 80 crew members. According to the specs on his PADD, there was also two phaser arrays, deflector shields and two shuttles. Captain Pike figured that not being surrounded by a ton of people would help with Leonard's fear of flying. He also knew the ship's second officer and would let her know to keep an eye on him.

The ten cadets in his group were beamed up to the ship and introduced to the first officer. Lieutenant Commander Jax was a nice enough guy. He gave them all the rundown before ordering them to change and check in with their section leaders. Leonard didn't know how he was going to get through a month on this thing. He went to his quarters to put his stuff away. The joy of being one of the two doctors on the ship, he got his own room. He had just pulled his duty uniform on when the buzzer to his door went off, "Enter."

He didn't look up but the door swooshed opened and closed, "You clean up nice, Bones." Every nerve ending in his body went to high alert at the sound of her voice. She's here. Why was she here? Leonard looked at the woman standing in his quarters; she had on a little make-up, her long hair was in a neat bun at the nape of her neck and she was wearing the gold duty dress with long sleeves, Lieutenant Commanders bars on her arms. The legs he's been dreaming about for weeks were in a standard pair of boots that stopped mid-calf. Jim gave him a few minutes to check her out before she stepped closer.

"You know, we can't stand here all day." He shook the thoughts of her legs wrapped around him out of his head.

"Sorry, it's just... Bones?"

She smiled, "Only thing your ex-wife let you with. I guess you're surprised to see me."

"I really should've put that together." He figured that she knew someone in Starfleet but he should've known that she might have been fleet herself.

Jim shrugged, "It's actually nice to meet people who don't automatically know who I am. Refreshing even. If it makes you feel better, I don't make it a habit of hooking up with cadets." He was wondering about that for a second and was going to respond but she kept talking, "Now, Pike says you have aviophobia and he wants me to keep an eye on you. Actually, I think he put you on this ship on purpose."

"You're the ship's second officer?" Jim smiled and sat on his bed. Oh dear God in heaven, why was she on his bed? He wanted to keep her there.

She smirked, "Yes, I'm second officer, it wasn't my idea. I'm helping with the Enterprise build and I'm assigned as it's chief tactical officer but this ship was short-staffed. I owed Jax a favor, so when the CO asked, I agreed to stick around for a while. You're scared of dying in something that flies but you joined Starfleet anyway. You really are trying to get away from your ex."

He nodded and looked at her for a second, "Pike talked me into it. I don't know why he cares."

"He's a good person who believes that everyone should get a second chance. He used to tell me that the best of us weren't the ones who stayed out of trouble, it was those of us who got into a bunch of trouble and learned from it. Unlike most of the officers around here, you lived in the real world. You have a different view of the universe, it's something the fleet needs and he thinks that you need to see more of it before you give up." She seemed like she's known Pike a while.

"Was he one of your instructors or something?"

Jim shook her head and looked at him, "He was on the Yorktown when I was in the academy. The Enterprise will be the second time we've served together. We taught in the same department last semester. I might teach again next year, I was just a sub last time."

Leonard thought about it for a second, "Took you under his wing, too?"

Jim smiled and looked at him, "Nope, family."

Leonard put it together, "Oh shit. He's your dad?"

Jim laughed, "Yep, I don't broadcast it but most people already know. Took you long enough." If Pike was her dad, that meant that she was Jim Kirk... the daughter of Lieutenant Commander George Kirk, the hero of the USS Kelvin and his wife, Lieutenant Winona Kirk, who dropped off the map when Jim was no older then five. "I was four, she lost her shit and Pike was friends with dad. He took me and my brother to San Fran. I'm not a mind reader, it's just the first thing everyone asks when the realize who I am. I hope it doesn't mean you'll treat me any different, I prefer the honesty."

"Honesty... I'm a jerk with nothing left and a bad attitude."

She stood up and shrugged, "You aren't a jerk to me. Trust me, I know some jerks. And you're still breathing, so you have something... might not be much." She glanced at the chronometer on her PADD, "As much as I would love to stay and hang out with you, you need to check in with Doctor Vance. If you want, I'll show you the way." He nodded and found himself being led through the small ship by the woman who had taken over his thoughts and dreams.

"Hey, Vance. He belongs to you."

She gestured towards him and Vance nodded, "Welcome Doctor McCoy. Thanks, Commander."

She smiled, "No problem. Let me know if you need anything, Bones." She slipped out of the room before he could say anything.

Vance smiled, "She has that affect on people."


	3. Chapter 3

Jim kept her promise and kept an eye on him. She popped up in medical, at chow and in his quarters when he was off duty to check and see how he was doing and how he liked ship life. He was surprised that he was doing so well. They were two weeks in when she showed up and pulled him from his quarters. "Where are we going… ma'am?"

She laughed, "For the millionth time, we're off duty, it's Jim. And I want to show you something." He followed her into a small observation room. There was a table in the room with chairs around it and a wall of viewports.

"What are we doing in here?" Leo asked.

Jim smiled, "Look out there." Leonard glanced at her then did what she told him. He was met with a bright blue and purple view. "That's Yi's Nebula. It's in the Benzite system. On the other side of the ship, Benzar is an hour away at warp seven. It's the only inhabited planet in the system, technically M class but hard for non-natives to breathe on. Anyway, the nebula… beautiful, huh?" It was and he could admit it. He looked over at her and saw the wonder in her eyes as she looked out at it.

"You like all this, don't you?"

She looked at him, "I told you, I was born in space. I never felt at home on the ground. Luckily, dad took us with him when he could so I've been on ships most of my life. I love it out here."

He could understand that, "Your brother?"

She chuckled, "Sam hates space. He's a research biologist, works for the Federation in Coronado."

"Must be nice, being so close to him. I haven't seen my sister in a while."

Jim nodded, "Let me guess, she's back in Georgia and you didn't bother going home for Christmas?" Leonard nodded.

She shook her head, "Piece of unsolicited advice… Go see your sister when you get the chance. If something happens to one of you, you'll regret not going." He had planned to go home to see his family but his ex sent him a message that stopped him from going, as much as he wanted to see Donna and her husband Fred, he didn't want Jocelyn to bring her wrath down on them.

"My ex-wife isn't making that easy. I don't want her to do more damage than she's already done."

"And keeping you from your family by threatening them isn't damage? You must have done a number on her."

Leonard thought about it, "I didn't really. We got married while I was in med school. I got busy, she felt ignored, and then she cheated. I didn't fight for her like she thought I should've, so she took everything. My house, my job… my daughter." He really didn't know why he was telling her any of this, he was sure she had more important things to worry about then a one night stand that turned into babysitting duty.

Jim didn't say anything for a second, "She won't let you see her… which is why you don't go home, so your family gets to spend time with her." He nodded. "That's fucked up." Leonard laughed, that's what he said. "What's her name?"

He smiled, "Joanna, she just turned seven on April fourth."

Jim looked at him but whatever she was going to say was cut off by her communicator, "Bridge to Kirk."

She smiled and answered it, "Kirk here." She was being called to the bridge. "Duty calls. We'll have to find some way to get you some face time with little Joanna, kids aren't meant to grow up without their parents. For what it's worth, I think your ex is an idiot. There are plenty of doctors who do it just for the title, but finding a doctor who genuinely wants to help people… that's something special. I'll see you later, Bones." She hopped up and left him alone in the room.

Leonard still didn't know what to think about Jim, she was something else. Every time he thought he had her figured out, he'd learn something else or she'd say something he didn't expect. He watched her interact with other people on the ship and he could tell that she's be a great commanding officer some day. She was always checking on people, asking about their jobs and their families, it wasn't just him. And she knew so much about the ship and the mission, he wondered if maybe she had more than one focus, she was a tactical officer but she did tell him when they met that she was into engineering, computers and languages. Leonard sat in the observation room for a little while longer before he went back to his quarters and wrote message to Donna before nodding off to sleep.

Everything was relatively simple until they were heading back to Sol. They had wrapped up their survey of Yi's Nebula when the shit hit the fan. The red alert went up all over the ship. Leonard was in medical when a call came down for medical assistance on the bridge. "McCoy, go." Vance and the two nurses had their hands full of banged up engineers and scientists.

When he got there, Commander Porter, the CO, was on the deck bleeding from a head wound. Lieutenant Commander Jax's arm was a mangled mess and Jim was issuing orders while manning the helm station. Leonard got to work on the CO and XO but he looked over at her before leaving the bridge, "Jim, you good?"

She nodded while still flying and shooting, "I'm good, Bones. Take care of them." Leonard could see that she was banged up, not as bad as the officers he was treating, but she'll need to get checked over if they didn't all die soon. He nodded as he practically carried Porter off the bridge, Jax and an engineering officer with burns to his face followed him into the turbolift.

It was pure chaos but he was too focused on getting everyone treated that he didn't even realize the shooting stopped until Jim was standing in front of him a little while later, "How are Porter and Jax?" He gave her the rundown. The CO had a concussion and was still out. The XO was in a sling and he wasn't happy about being pulled from duty by Vance.

"Looks like you're in charge. Now, sit down." She gave him a sad smile and sat in the chair he vacated, they were out of bio-beds. There was something on her mind, "Are you okay, Jim?" he asked as he scanned her with the tricorder.

"This is my fault; I should've seen this coming. I don't know how I missed the raider's ship." She was kidding, right?

"From what I saw, the only reason we're all alive is because of you. You can't predict everything. One of the first things they teach us in medical school is that even if you do everything right, you could still end up losing the patient. It's not your fault, Jim; no matter hard you try to convince yourself that it is." He treated her banged up knee before moving to the gash above her eye. She didn't say anything else until he was done.

"I gotta get back to the bridge; we should be home in a few hours. Thanks, Bones," she squeezed his hand before leaving the small sickbay. That was the moment Leonard realized that he was in trouble.


	4. Chapter 4

"Fancy meeting you here." If she asked, he could admit that he was actually looking for her when he walked into the bar. He hadn't seen her in the few weeks since the Hawking got back and he was tempted to ask Pike where she disappeared to but never drummed up the courage.

She smiled, "Hello, Bones." He sat down next to her and ordered a drink.

They sat in relative silence for a while as he watched her, "Haven't seen you around. Are you okay?"

Jim nodded, "Yea… Yea, I'm good. I was in Iowa working on the Enterprise. You'll see more of me soon enough, I got my orders. I'm assigned to the academy for the next year, at least. Oh, and they're giving me a commendation for that thing on the Hawking."

She didn't sound too excited about that part. If he thought about it, he could understand her issue, "People got hurt, the ship got damaged and you don't want to be rewarded for doing your job."

She let out a breath, "Finally, someone other than dad that gets it. I thought I was losing my mind but I'm relieved to know that somebody actually understands how I feel."

He smiled, "Been there. I hate it when I lose patients but then everybody tells me how I did such a good job and I just want to beat the crap out of them. I mean when someone dies, I don't want your praise."

Jim smiled, "That sounds about right. They're having a reception. You should come; I bet you're on the list anyway since you were on the ship. Maybe I'll actually behave long enough to get through the whole thing. On the other hand, I could just get really drunk. Porter is getting promoted, Jax too."

He looked at her, "Parties aren't really my thing."

She nodded, "Mine either. Unfortunately, I can't skip it. I was ordered to attend."

Leonard smiled, "We'll see. So what will you be doing around here, if you don't mind me asking?"

She shrugged, "Teaching: Engineering, Philosophy and Basic Helm Control. Don't worry, I'm not your instructor, you'll be flying with my friend Mitchell. He's one of the best in the fleet, so you, my aviophobic friend, will be in very good hands."

Flying, Leonard hated to fly, and he hated that he had to learn even more. Watching Jim or Pike, they both made it look so easy but he knew that unless his life depended on it, he wasn't jumping into the pilot's chair anytime soon. Jim must have read his mind, "It's not that bad, I learned how to fly when I was ten."

"I'm not surprised. Pike?"

She shook her head, "Archer."

He raised an eyebrow, "Archer? As in the man that basically founded the Federation, former Federation President, Commander Starfleet, Admiral Jonathan Archer? He taught you how to fly?"

Jim chuckled, "Yea, but he's usually Uncle Archie to me when I'm off duty. Don't tell anybody that." Leonard made a motion to cross his heart. Now he was beginning to understand what she meant about liking that he didn't automatically know who she was. Between her birth parents, her adoptive dad and all the officers she grew up around, she was practically Starfleet royalty.

"Know any other legendary officers?"

Jim smirked, "Plenty. I don't really talk about it. Depending on the person, they aren't really legends to me, just family. Then there are the officers who don't like me because I'm not George. They're all harder on me than most people; they all expect great things. George and Dad both have big reputations and I carry both legacies. It's funny because people always ask me about being a Kirk but I'm only a Kirk by name and DNA. I grew up a Pike. I didn't know George, everything I know about him I learned from dad and Sam. Dad, has been my dad my whole life. Hell, he's been keeping an eye on us since I was a baby. The last thing I want to do is disappoint him. He's the only parent I really got. Winona is… something. I can't believe they let her go back on active duty, she's nuts." Leonard nodded as she shook her head, "Why am I telling you all this?"

He smiled, "Because I highly doubt you tell any of this to anyone. Everybody expects you to be this ideal so nobody bothers to see it when things bother you. I mean, you talk to your dad but it's not the same. I don't care about who your parents are and I'm not afraid to call you out if I need to. Although, if I'm being honest, Pike being your dad and my advisor makes me nervous."

Jim laughed, "I'm a big girl and dad usually keeps our lives and our work as far apart as possible. It's not easy but he tries. If it'll make you feel better, I won't tell him that we slept together. I like you too much to watch him break your legs…" He looked at her as she sat stone-faced for a minute and then burst into laughter, "He wouldn't really break your legs. I'm sorry, you should've seen your face. He has this look; you've probably seen it before when some cadet does something stupid. You really don't want to see it if it has something to do with me. Seriously, as far as dad is concerned, I know what I'm doing. He would just want to make sure I was treated properly… and you treated me very well, so there's no need for you to worry."

Leonard watched her for a second, then smirked, "If it's all the same with you, I don't want to test that theory."

She chuckled, "Yea, telling my dad about my sex life is right under drinking acid on my list of things to do." They had a few more drinks before she nudged him, "It's a school night, you should get back to campus. How the hell do you deal with the curfew?"

He shrugged, "Other than working at the hospital, I never had to worry about it. And I get a pass for shifts. How did you deal with it?"

Jim shrugged, "I started the academy when I was fifteen and graduated in three years, I knew how to stay out of trouble and I never went too far away from campus. Last thing I wanted was to explain to Uncle Archie why I was being pulled into his or Barnett's offices."

He nodded and stood to leave, "Well, Miss Jim, as always, it has been a pleasure." Jim smirked, reached for his waistband and grabbed his communicator. She punched in her information and handed it back to him.

"In case you need something."

He had a retort on the tip of his tongue but he stopped himself from telling her exactly what he needed and settled for a nod and a "See ya, later, Jim."


	5. Chapter 5

He didn't like sitting in Pike's office. The man made him nervous before he slept with his daughter; it was even worse now. "So, you and Jim."

Leonard didn't know what the captain knew so he went with ignorance, "What about the Lieutenant Commander, sir?"

Pike smiled, "Stow the 'sir', McCoy. I just wanted to thank you." What? The older officer must have seen the question written all over his face, "Someone saw you two having a drink a few nights ago. I just wanted to say thanks. As you can imagine, she doesn't connect with a lot of people. Other than Mitchell and Finney, one of her instructors, she didn't have any friends in the academy thanks to being George's daughter, raised by me and a few years younger than the rest of her classmates. Pissed a lot of people off that she graduated a year early; they were hoping that she'd flame out. People want to condemn her for her family or they want to use her to get ahead, so she usually keeps everything close to the vest. She's social, to an extent and she'll ask a lot about others but she doesn't talk about herself. It's had me worried for years, how she holds it all in but she talks to you and I just wanted to thank you."

Leonard nodded, "You asked her to keep an eye on me. Thanks aren't really necessary, sir."

The captain smiled, "You like her." That wasn't a question, so he didn't offer an answer. Pike looked at him, "I don't meddle in her life if I can help it, so I'm not going to tell you what to do about that either way. I'm just gonna say that she's my daughter, you hurt her and I'll hurt you. We clear?"

He nodded, "Crystal." 

The other man let out a breath, "Good. Now, the reason I asked you here was because Jim wanted me to talk to JAG on your behalf about visitation and custody."

Leo nodded, "My daughter, Joanna. My ex has family in all the right places, she steamrolled me in court. Not only do I not get to see my little girl but my family only gets to see her if I stay away. I didn't know I had any options until I talked to Lieutenant Commander Kirk."

Pike nodded, "Yea, my daughter doesn't take well to people being forced away from their kids for no reason. Anything JAG should know before they look into it?"

The southerner thought about it for a second, "The Darnell's, my ex's family, have friends in the courts back home, so they'll be difficult and drag their feet. Jocelyn claimed that I was an alcoholic and it was entered into the records without any proof. That's it."

Pike nodded, "I'll pass it along. I have a few friends in JAG. If there's nothing else, you're free to go. And don't waste your break working, do something relaxing."

He smiled, "Yes, sir." Leonard hopped up, stood at attention for a second and then left the room.

* * *

Comm her. Don't comm her. Comm her. Don't comm her. He left Pike's office hours ago and was sitting in his room staring at the ceiling. Leonard couldn't decide what to do and he was even beginning to wonder when he turned into a lovesick teenager. It wasn't that difficult; just do it. He picked up his communicator and hit the command to comm her. She answered almost immediately, "Kirk here."

He took a breath, "Hey, Jim it's Leonard."

He heard the smile in her voice, "Hey, Bones. What's up?" He really didn't think that far ahead, he just wanted to talk to her but now he couldn't think of anything to say.

"This is crazy," he whispered to himself.

Jim helped him out, "You wanna come over?"

He smiled, "Yea." 

"You know where I live," Jim said with a chuckle. He told her that he'd be there soon and disconnected.

Everybody left for break that morning with the exception of Leonard and a few dozen of his classmates; he was going to work in the hospital and maybe do some research. The campus was a ghost town and he actually preferred it this way. He got to her place in less than fifteen minutes and hit the buzzer on her door. She opened it a few seconds later, "Hey." Jim was wearing a pair of jeans and an old, Starfleet Academy shirt that was a size or two too big; Pike's judging by the year. She stepped aside so that he could come in.

"Hey. I'm not bothering you or something?" She shook her head as she moved past him.

"I wouldn't have said to come over if you were. I think you know me well enough to know that I'll tell you that much." That was true; she was usually honest with him. She offered him a spot on the couch and a beer. He accepted both and sat down. She grabbed them each a beer and sat next to him, sideways so she could face him.

"So, doc. Tell me what's eatin' ya."

"I… uh… talked to Pike today." he knew it was a cop out.

She chuckled, "Yea, what he say? Only if you want to tell me." He relayed the conversation and Jim couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"That sounds like dad. Doesn't meddle my ass." They both shared a laugh at that.

"He thinks I like you," Leonard told her.

She looked at him, "You do. I'm under your skin." It wasn't a question, she was and she knew she was. Jim kept talking, "Feeling is mutual." Wait, what? He looked at her; she had to be kidding. The look she gave him told Leonard that she wasn't kidding one bit.

"Why?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Why what?"

He took a breath, "Why would you like me? I'm…"

"… a good person who's ex-wife has him convinced that he isn't. I don't know the details of your marriage but I do know that she did a number on you, you wouldn't have fled to Starfleet if she didn't. You want everybody to think you're an asshole but you aren't. Yea, you're abrasive but that's not always a bad thing around here. And you're hot." He gave her a look and she laughed, "What? I'm only human, despite what some people seem to think." He tried but he couldn't stop the smile that crossed his features. "Oh my God, did I just get a genuine smile from Leonard McCoy?" She nudged him, "You're hotter when you smile."

He rolled his eyes and laughed, "Oh yea?" She nodded with this mischievous gleam in her eyes. Leonard knew that look, "Don't you even think about it." He grabbed her hands before they could make contact with his side and pulled her close; she was practically on his lap, "Sorry, darlin', I know that trick." She nodded; he could feel her pulse under his fingertips, it was going a thousand miles an hour. He looked into those bright, blue eyes and decided 'what the hell' before he kissed her. Jim kissed him back and he pulled her until she was straddling his lap.

He slid his hands under her shirt and pulled it over her head. He'd been thinking about this, about her since that first night. Even though it was a few months ago, it's been playing on repeat in his head. Finding out that she was smart, sweet, funny, brave and caring only made him want her more. He moved his hands to her hips and pulled her closer; he could feel her warmth as he slowly moved her against him. "Leonard." The sound of his name on her lips sent a shot of molten lava through him. He stood up with her in his arms, Jim wrapped her legs around him and he walked to her bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

He wanted –no, he needed- to have her; it was like she had a hold over him. He laid her on the bed and she pushed his shirt off. Leonard closed his eyes at the feel of her hands against his skin. She pressed kisses to his neck and his chest as she unzipped his jeans and pushed them off too. He unclasped her bra and removed it from her body before moving to her jeans. She wasn't wearing anything under them, he couldn't get them off fast enough.

He watched her for a moment, her chest heaving and her skin flushed, he'd never seen anything so beautiful. "What's wrong?"

He locked eyes with her, "Nothing. I'm just admiring the view."

She smiled, "Get over here." He nodded and moved on top of her. Leonard kissed her breasts, her neck, then moved to her lips. He watched Jim's face as he guided himself into her. Her eyes fluttered closed as she whispered his name. He closed his eyes; the feel of her wrapped around him was almost too much.

He was deliberately moving slowly; he watched her and he could see the tension building. As they moved together, she begged him to move faster between kisses. He kissed her neck, along her jaw and her lips; he lost himself in her. He began to pick up speed, she was so close to falling apart, and he was pushing her closer to the edge. "Leonard." He locked his eyes with hers and changed the angle of his movements. It sent her shattering into a million pieces around him; he followed right behind her. He didn't move, he just enjoyed the feeling of her whole body shivering in his arms. They moved themselves under the covers and he pulled her flush against him before they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Oh, oh, Jim." He blinked his eyes open and looked down, her lips where around him. She set a slow rhythm using her tongue, her lips and her hand. Leonard gasped and tangled his hands in her long blonde hair. "Fuck." She was driving him insane. Jim looked up at him with those brilliant blue eyes and he was done, "Jim stop."

She was about to say something when he cut her off by pulling her up his body. She smiled as she slowly slid down onto him. Every move she made was adding fuel to the fire. He grabbed hold of her hips and urged her to speed up. She tightened around him and he knew she was close. Jim was losing control. He looked at her, skin flushed and glistening with sweat, her eyes half-closed. Jim continued to move against him and then she exploded, quivering around him.

Leonard kept kissing and caressing her body, watching as she fell apart. He tangled his hands in her hair and pulled her down for a kiss. He changed their position, flipping them and positioning himself over her. As he slid into her again, "Leonard," fell from her lips. He wanted to go slow but he didn't have enough control, not with her body tightening around him, pulling him in. Leonard pushed her over the edge again, this time he went with her.

"That was…" He didn't know how to finish that statement, so he didn't. Jim nodded her understanding. They rearranged themselves; Leonard was on his side with Jim's back against his chest. She drifted off to sleep and he watched her for a few minutes before he went to sleep too.

* * *

Leonard woke up to the smell of coffee; Jim was no longer in his arms. He got out of bed and looked for his jeans, which were sitting on a chair; Jim must have picked his clothes up. He pulled his pants on and went in search of the beautiful woman who slept in his arms. Jim was leaning against the counter with a PADD in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. He groaned, she was wearing an oversized t-shirt and he was sure that there was nothing under it. He smiled as she looked over at him, "Hi, darlin'."

Jim smiled back, "Hi." She sat the PADD down and took a sip of coffee, "Want some?" Oh, the ways he could answer that question. He stepped into her space; she sat her coffee on the counter and looked at him.

He rested his hands on her hips and kissed her neck, "Good morning. I did all this backwards, didn't I?" She raised an eyebrow so he continued, "Supposed to ask you out first. Go on a couple dates then end up in bed. You know, like normal people."

Jim laughed, "I think you know that I'm anything but normal." Well, no truer words have ever been spoken.

He chuckled, "No, darlin', you are not normal… but that's a good thing if you ask me. What are you doing today?"

She smiled against his chest, "Nothing. It's my first day off in forever."

He smiled, "Mine too… Do you wanna… maybe…?" He didn't want to leave, even if they just laid in bed all day and did nothing else.

Jim caught on to what he was trying to ask, "… spend the day with you. That sounds good. I'm gonna grab a shower." She slid past him and he leaned against her counter for a few minutes but the thought of water trickling down her body sent all his blood south. Leonard took a few deep breaths but it didn't help, so he decided to join her.

* * *

"Hey, you two." After a very -very- nice shower, they eventually made it out of her apartment. Jim and Leonard were sitting in the diner down the street when Captain Pike and a beautiful brunette walked in.

"Hey dad, Clare." Jim switched sides of the table and sat next to Leonard.

"Sir, ma'am," Leo muttered.

Pike chuckled and they both sat down, "Clare, this is Doctor Leonard McCoy; he's the top medical cadet of his class. McCoy this is Captain Clare Davidson, my former XO and the CO of the Yorktown." Clare smiled and nodded, then she looked at Jim, who shrugged. Leonard knew that was girl sign language for 'I'll tell you later.' Having breakfast with Pike wasn't the worst thing in the world but his mind kept drifting to the night before and that wasn't helping.

"So, what do you have planned for the day?" Pike looked at Jim.

"You aren't being subtle at all, dad, so just ask and get it over with." Leonard would've laughed but he couldn't bring himself to.

Pike chuckled, "Just asking a question, kiddo. Unless there's something going on that I should know about." He knew, the smirk on his face said he knew.

Jim shook her head, "I'm good. Bones, you good?"

He nodded, "I'm good." The look that Captain Pike sent their way told Leonard that the man was going to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clare is Number One, I gave her a real name.


	7. Chapter 7

It was weeks after their breakfast with Pike and the other cadets had returned to campus. They spent as much time together as they could with him in class and working shifts at the hospital and her as an instructor and working on the Enterprise. It was near the end of his shift when Jim was brought into the ER. "What happened?" He looked at the officer who had Jim in his arms.

"There was an explosion, some of the idiots in engineering disabled the safeties on the project they were working on and she put herself between the blast and some of the cadets." Jim wasn't completely out but she was in pain, her side, her arm and part of her face were a mess.

"Bones?" He could hear the agony in her voice, "The cadets alright?" He couldn't help but chuckle and look at the officer, who nodded.

"Yea, they're okay. I know it hurts but I need you to stay awake for a little while. Can you do that?"

She took a deep breath and mumbled, "yea." Bones cut the black instructors uniform off and issued instructions to the nurses.

One of the other doctors came in and tried to take over. Leonard had skipped standard medication protocol with Jim because she had a couple allergies but the other doctor, Ramsey, tried to give them to her. "Stop, don't give her that," Leonard practically yelled.

The nurse looked between the two of them just as Doctor Boyce entered the room, "McCoy, Ramsey, what's the issue?"

Ramsey looked at Boyce, "McCoy isn't following protocol so I'm taking over."

Leonard glared, "She's allergic to that, you'll kill her."

The older doctor looked at Ramsey, "You didn't bother to check her file, did you Ramsey? If you had, you would know that. As a matter of fact; she's allergic to the first two pain meds on the protocol list. I put that in her file myself when she was nine. Are you trying to send her into cardiac arrest?" Ramsey didn't know what to say, Boyce told Leonard to carry on as he sat by Jim's head. "I comm'ed your dad, kiddo, he's coming." She gritted her teeth and nodded.

The meds that Leonard gave her should be starting to kick in, "Go ahead and sleep, Jim."

Leonard glanced at Boyce, "You've known her a long time too?"

Boyce raised an eyebrow, Leonard explained, "I met Captain Davidson last month."

Boyce nodded and chuckled as Leonard did his job, "So, you're the guy that Clare mentioned." He didn't know that he was mentioned by anyone. Jim and Leonard were friends as far as everyone knew, they hadn't decided to be anything other than just them; they were both too busy to put a title on it.

"I guess, sir."

Boyce chuckled, "She likes you for Jim. Don't tell her I told you that."

Leonard nodded, "I won't, sir."

"And stop with the 'sir' business, at least right now. As far as you're concerned, I'm just Uncle Phil. Sitting with my niece while you fix the damage she did to herself sticking her neck out for people. She gets it from her dad."

Bones looked at him, "Which one?"

Boyce gave it some thought, "Both, I suppose. George Kirk died protecting others and I've patched up Chris so much it's not even funny. She really is her father's daughter, even though most people pick the wrong father." Leonard nodded as he finished getting Jim set up in the regenerator.

"Do I need to give you the safety crap?"

Boyce chuckled and shook his head, "I wrote those rules… so no, I don't need you to tell me." Leonard took that as his queue to exit the room, even though he wanted to stay.

Pike showed up as Leonard cleared a few more patients from the board and walked right up to him, "McCoy."

The doctor turned around and looked at him, "She's alright, sir. The regen did its job. She'll be itchy and cranky but that's it. She won't even have much of a scar." Pike got there while the regenerator was finishing up with her side. Leonard had set it to do her face and arm first.

The older man looked at him, "How she feeling?"

Leonard smiled, "Loopy, go see for yourself, sir. Davidson and Boyce are in there now."

The two men walked into the room, Jim looked up, "Hey, it's my favorite fellas. Don't give me that look dad, I'm fine… awesome… amazing… badass… but I bet Bones told you that already." She was a presence even confined to a biobed and on pain medication.

Pike laughed, "She's high?"

Leonard nodded, "As a kite. Regenerating muscle tissue and skin is painful… but you know that." Jim on pain meds was a little funny; all the walls that she usually had up, weren't and she said the first thing that came to mind, which is why only family was allowed in the room. As funny as she was like this, she needed to rest.

She wasn't happy when he told her that, "But Booonnnneeeessss."

He couldn't help but smile, "Nope, you need to sleep."

The three older officers watched the exchange; Jim pouted, "But I don't wanna go to bed."

"You're already in bed. If you behave, I'll let you go home tomorrow… but only if you behave. Don't make me sedate you, there's been enough of a shock to your system," he told her. "Was she whinny like this as a kid?"

Jim rolled her eyes, "I'm not whinny… I just wanna go home." Pike, Boyce and Davidson laughed, Leonard wasn't surprised. T

hey all shook their heads and Pike looked at him, "Nope, not unless she was in the hospital. She hates hospitals. Hell, aside from you, Phil and Phlox, she hates doctors too." He chuckled; she wasn't shy about admitting that.

" _She_ is right here," Jim declared.

Pike kissed her hand, "We know, kiddo." The older officers only stayed for a few more minutes before leaving the room.

"Comm us if anything changes, McCoy." He nodded at Boyce, the older man kissed Jim on the head, "You, behave."

She smiled, "Yea, yea, Uncle Phil." Davidson gave her a hug and whispered something that he couldn't hear, Jim nodded.

Pike kissed her temple, "Don't give McCoy a hard time, sweetheart. I love you."

She looked at the tired captain, "I love you too, dad. Go get some rest, you look beat."

Pike chuckled, "Pot, meet kettle."

Jim looked at Leonard after her dad left the room, "Don't you have work to do?"

He smiled, "I'm done for the day. I was gonna hang out with you for a little while but if you want me to leave, I will."

She shook her head and smiled, "Stay. Talk to me. Distract me, this itches like a bitch."

Leonard sat in the chair that Clare vacated, "You know, I don't know who scares me more, your dad, his girlfriend or your uncle. I think they might kill me."

He doesn't know why he started with that but Jim laughed, "Gotta go through me first and Clare isn't his girlfriend. Just a friend he doesn't see often."

He looked at her, "Really."

"Yea, he's known her for decades. They went to the academy together and got closer when she served as his XO. I think they could be a couple but they never went there. She kept an eye on me growing up. You know, imparting the wisdom that only a woman could tell a growing girl. I guess she's like the closest thing I have to a mom." He'd been wondering about that. Winona Kirk was still alive but Pike raised Jim and George.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"What's the deal with my mother?" He nodded. "Winona… oh, Winona. She tried to kill me when I was little." He looked at her and almost laughed but the sad look that crossed her beautiful features stopped him.

"Wow. I'm sorry, Jim."

She shrugged, "Don't be, it's not your fault. She failed and I ended up with dad, so it's not as bad as it could've been. She tries to talk to me sometimes but I can't. I just… can't… She blames me for my father's death. I know it doesn't make sense but she does… and she's not the only one."

He had heard the whispers whenever Jim was around; the things people thought about her ranged from respectful adoration to outright hatred. He wouldn't say he knew everything about her but he knew enough, both personally and professionally, he still couldn't understand why people hated her so much. She was a baby when her father died, her mother was crazy and someone else had to raise her. It's sad to think that people would treat George Kirk's family with such disrespect.

"Do people give your brother crap?" He wasn't sure where that came from.

She chuckled, "Some, he has dad's name. The hate is usually directed at me though, I was born 90 seconds before he died so…" Jim shook her head. "Can we talk about something else?" He chuckled and nodded; they talked about all kinds of stuff before she started to nod off.

"Sleep, beautiful." Leonard sat and watched her sleep before he nodded off himself.


	8. Chapter 8

He was gonna kiss her. Hell, he was gonna do more than that. Leo was just notified that Starfleet had figured out what was wrong with his divorce and custody agreements. Then JAG fought on his behalf to have them changed; he was getting to see his daughter and all the property his ex-wife took was being returned to him since it was his family's home. He made his way to Jim's to thank her. Leonard arrived at her door and hit the buzzer; the person who answered the door wasn't who he was expecting.

This guy was attractive; tall, blonde, with brown eyes that looked like pools of chocolate, "Can I help you?" Leonard should know who this guy is, he's seen him before but couldn't place him.

"Is Jim home?"

The guy looked at him, sizing him up, "Who wants to know?"

His good mood was fading, then he heard Jim, "George Samuel Kirk junior, would you stop that shit. I don't hang out at your apartment and glare at people who knock on your door… let him in." Her brother, he knew that.

"Oh come on, Jimmy, I was just messing with your boyfriend… it's kinda my job." George stepped aside so that Leonard could enter the apartment. He almost corrected the older Kirk that he and Jim weren't a couple but she didn't say anything so he let it drop.

"Doctor Leonard McCoy," he held out his hand.

The other man reached over and shook it, "Doctor George Kirk, nice to meet you, man."

Jim looked at them, "Doctor James Kirk… not that anyone asked me." Both men laughed. He wasn't surprised when he found out that she had a doctorate in Engineering, he's seen her work. He was actually surprised that she only had one.

"Hey, darlin'," he gave her a kiss on the temple. "So, I got some news today and I wanted to thank you in person," he told her. Jim raised an eyebrow and glanced at her brother. Leonard handed her his PADD.

"Your daughter, you get to see her… that's awesome." She pulled him into a hug and gave him a kiss.

"None of that, Jimmy… my eyes can't take it," George put his hands over his eyes.

Jim rolled her eyes, "Then go bug dad. Can you believe he's a genius? 'cause I can't."

George put his hands over his heart, "Oh, sis. That hurts… so, so bad."

She shook her head and chuckled, "See what I had to grow up with?"

Her brother looked at her, "But you love me."

Jim smiled, "More than life itself. Doesn't change the fact that you're a man-child when you aren't at work." Leonard smiled at the pair; they reminded him of his interactions with his big sister.

Jim explained to George why he couldn't see his daughter; to say the man was upset was an understatement, "Dude, your ex is a bitch. I glad JAG got that fixed." Jim nodded her agreement.

"I didn't mean to impose on your brother-sister bonding time," Leo told the siblings.

They both laughed and George looked at him, "No big, I like meeting Jim's friends. We were about to watch a movie or two, if you wanna stay…"

Leonard noticed Jim cringe, "You can't make out with him, I will hurt you."

George laughed, "I should comm Gary."

Jim rolled her eyes and looked at Bones, "He's polysexual. He'll bang anything that isn't related to him."

Her brother laughed, "What can I say, I'm a catch."

"More like you'll catch something," he said it without thinking; Jim leaned her head against his shoulder and laughed.

"I've been saying that for years."

George chuckled, "Oh no, not another one. Look, I'm safe, guys. Anyway, movies… you in?" Leonard looked at Jim, who smiled at him.

"I'll stay if you want me to."

She nodded, "I want you to."

George chuckled, "Don't make me sit between you … I've done it before."

Jim rolled her eyes and whispered, "Yea, so you could make out with Carly… I really liked her too."

George shrugged, "She wasn't good enough for you or she wouldn't have gone to second base with me. I'll get the popcorn, you key up the movie." He jumped up and left the room.

"Your brother…"

She cut him off, "Is obnoxious. He's serious when he has to be. You don't have to stay if you really don't want to."

He touched her cheek, "I really want to."

Leonard leaned in to kiss her but George ruined it, "Oh, Jimmy…"

She rolled her eyes and looked at Leonard, "I might kill him."

He nodded, "I'll help you get rid of his body."

Jim opted for a James Bond movie. Leonard was only half-paying attention to the movie; Jim laid her head on his leg and he was running his fingers through her hair. If her brother wasn't here… that was as far as he was taking that thought.

"She's asleep," George told him. Leonard smiled, she doesn't sleep enough if you asked him. "So, what's with you and my sister?"

Leonard looked over at the other Kirk, "Is this the 'what are your intentions' thing? I don't think I'm good enough for her but ..."

George watched his face and then smiled, "You love her. You don't like being away from her. I bet she's the only person other than your kid that makes you smile. You love my sister." It wasn't a question, George was right. Leo doesn't know when it happened but one day he looked at her and couldn't imagine what life would be like without her in it.

"It's complicated," Leo muttered.

George smirked, "Only because you're both stubborn. She has herself convinced that she's not worth being loved. It's Winona's fault… and Kodos'." Kodos, George can't mean Kodos the Executioner from Tarsus Four; Leonard must have had a look on his face because George nodded. "Dad had to go on a six month assignment without us. We were staying with Hoshi Sato, you know Uncle Archie's communications officer on the NX-01."

Leonard nodded, Lieutenant Commander Sato was a legend and everyone knew who she was. George continued, "Anyway, we got there a few weeks before everything went to shit. Jimmy tried to send up an S.O.S. but nothing was going through. Hoshi gave us her emergency gear and told us to leave before Kodos' men showed up… they killed her. We hid some kids in the woods but there came a point where we had to comm for help. I stayed with the kids while Jimmy and two of the boys went to the government building to hack the communications network. They succeeded but they were caught on their way out.

Kodos killed Cliff and tortured Jim and Zach for our location but they didn't talk; biding time for our dad to show up. Zach told me that she looked Kodos dead in the eyes and promised to kill him. If she finds him, I have no doubt that she'll make good on it. I'm off topic though; he beat into her that she wasn't worth it. He opened all the wounds my mother caused that me and dad worked to fix. You toss in our bio-dad and all the crap people give her for him… you get the idea. She's something special. So, if you love her, and I'm pretty sure you do, tell her. She deserves to be happy." Leo nodded; she was right, her brother could be serious.


	9. Chapter 9

"Who is she, one of your nurses?" He really hates his ex-wife. Like really, really hates her. Leo had gone to see his daughter every other week like the new visitation order gave him the right to do, this week, he asked Jim to tag along. Of course, Jocelyn had a problem with him introducing Joanna to anyone that she didn't know but that wasn't stopping him.

"Do I really look like a nurse?" Jim asked him.

He chuckled, "No, not even a little bit, darlin'. Jim, this is Jocelyn, my ex-wife. Jocelyn, this is my girlfriend Jim." The look on Jocelyn's face was priceless. He talked to Jim and they decided that yes, they were officially a couple and no, it didn't matter what they called it. Girlfriend and boyfriend was a little juvenile but there really weren't many ways to describe it without sounding like a jerk.

"Seriously? She's like twelve," Jocelyn said as she glared at Jim. His girl rolled her eyes; there was no way in hell that Jim looked even remotely that young.

"Well, she's twenty-four, she's a Lieutenant Commander and she has a Ph.D. Now that we got that outta the way, where's Jo?"

Jocelyn glared at Jim  some more before batting her eyelashes at Leonard, "Not home."

He looked at Jim and then back at his ex, "I asked where she was, not where she wasn't." Of all days for her to play this dumb game of 'keep away,' she had to pick today; Jocelyn knew what she was doing.

Jim pointed to the door, "I'll uh… be outside." She touched his shoulder and made her way out of the house.

"Where is Joanna? I have a court order to see her," he wasn't going to let her walk all over him like she was used to doing.

"She's not here. What do you want me to say, Leo?" she was up to something.

He took a breath, "Tell me where she is and I'll go get her."

Jocelyn looked at him, "She doesn't want to see you."

"Daddy!" Leonard turned around as Joanna slammed into him, Jim right behind her.

"She was out back. Apparently, she was told that you didn't want her and you weren't coming," Jim said as she glared at his ex-wife. Uh oh, Jim was not happy.

"Of course I want you, sweetheart. If I could have you with me all the time I would but that wouldn't be fair to _all_ the people who love you. Why don't you go pack a bag so we can go, okay?" he said as he wiped the tears off her face.

"Can Miss Jim come with me?" she asked.

Jim smiled, "Of course, sweetie. Lead the way." Jo took Jim's hand and pulled her through the house.

"Of all the fucked up… Dammit, Jocelyn. What was the point of this? Forget about me, why would you do that to her?"

She looked at him, "You have to understand…"

He cut her off, "No, I really don't have to. I don't know what's up with you but…"

"I'm pregnant," she said.

He just looked at her, "Uh… congratulations? You tell Clay?"

She nodded and looked at the floor, "Yea…"

Leonard looked around and understood what was going on, "He left, didn't he?" She nodded. Leonard took a breath, "Wish I was surprised by that but I'm not." She was the 'harpy from hell' but he did feel a little bad that she got abandoned by her husband… he knew the feeling.

"He doesn't know if he wants us to keep it but I don't think I could just kill my child. Don't say it… I know that karma's a bitch." He had a few things on the tip of his tongue but he wasn't that mean, even if he had every right to be.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you except that you can't take it out on Joanna. Just because Clay doesn't want your child, doesn't have anything to do with her or me. I love that little girl more than anything in the universe and you know it."

Jocelyn nodded, "Is she nice… Jim?"

Even though that came outta nowhere, he smiled, "Yea, she's great."

She looked at him, "She doesn't like me at all."

It wasn't a question but he felt compelled to fill her in, just a little, "It's not my story to tell but she doesn't like when people mess with kids." He wasn't going to tell her any more than that about Jim's life. Jocelyn nodded but didn't say anything as Joanna and Jim came back into the room, Jim had a bag over her shoulder.

"Ready, daddy," his little girl said with a smile.

He smiled back, "Alright, Jo. It'll work out Jocelyn, you just gotta try. You can't run away whenever things get hard. Talk to him."

She looked up at him and nodded, "Thanks, Leo. I know you might not believe me but… I'm sorry I wrecked your life."

He glanced at Jim and Joanna, "You didn't, you just made look for the place I was really supposed to be and I think I found it."

* * *

Usually when he went to see Joanna, they stayed in Georgia but this time, he was taking her to San Francisco. "Woooowwww," Jo said as the shuttle pulled into the shuttle bay. She looked over at Jim, "You live here too?"

Jim nodded, "I grew up here." Jo smiled and kept looking out the window. "Well at least one McCoy doesn't mind flying," Jim whispered.

He squeezed her hand, "I'm better with flying. I don't like it but it doesn't scare the crap out of me as much as it used to." It was the truth. Jim was right when she told him that Lieutenant Commander Mitchell was a good teacher. He taught Leonard to fly without getting frustrated or pissed off that he was an aviophobe; he even managed to pass with an above average grade.

She looked at him, "Then why you holding my hand so tight?"

Leonard chuckled, "Maybe I just wanna hold your hand, darlin'." She smiled as the shuttle docked and they made their way off. The trio stopped by his dorm to drop off Joanna's bag and then they went to get something to eat. Joanna took in everything around her.

"This is so cool, daddy."

He chuckled and agreed with her, "Yes it is." After lunch, Joanna asked Jim if they could go to one of her favorite places. Jim smiled and took them to the California Academy of Sciences. Even Leo could admit that it was pretty cool and Joanna got a kick out of the indoor rainforest and the aquarium. He liked Jim's favorite place, the living roof.

After their trip, they ended up at Jim's apartment. "Maybe I should get her back to campus."

Jim shook her head, "She can stay. You can go back if you really want to." He chuckled; he didn't want to go anywhere. Jim was sitting on the couch and Joanna was sleep in her arms. He doesn't have to worry about them liking each other, they bonded.

He smiled at her, "I'm good."


	10. Chapter 10

Home, sweet home. Leonard loves being in Georgia, especially around Christmas. It was better this year because he was spending it with his mama, Joanna, Jim and George. Pike was off-planet and his mother insisted that he invite the Kirk siblings to spend the holiday with the McCoy family. "Mom, Lenny's here!" Jim and George chuckled as Donna, Leonard's sister, opened the door.

He rolled his eyes but pulled her into a hug, "Hey, Don."

She hugged him back before looking at Jim, "Holy shit. You said she was beautiful but that's an understatement."

Jim blushed, "Nice to finally meet you."

His sister looked at George and raised an eyebrow, "And you are?"

The biologist smiled, "I'm Doctor George Kirk. It's nice to meet you, Donna."

Jim and Leonard looked at each other and said in unison, "She's married."

George chuckled, "Your husband is a very lucky man, Donna." Leonard's been on the receiving end of the Kirk charm, so he knew it when he saw it.

"Oh dear God," he said as he walked around his sister and into his mother's house with Jim right behind him.

"Leo."

He smiled at his mother, "Hey, mama." He could admit that he was a sap for his mother.

She pulled him into her arms and hugged him tight, "You look good, Sug. A lot better than when you left. And this must be Jim." He nodded as she turned to his girlfriend.

Jim nodded, "Yes, ma'am. Thank you for inviting us."

His mama looked Jim up and down before she smiled at her, "Ain't you just the prettiest thing. Get over here."

His mom pulled Jim into a hug before moving to her brother, "And look at you."

He gave her a bright smile, "Hello, ma'am." No, he had better not even think about it.

"Sam, no flirting with Bones' mother."

He glared at his sister, "I can't help it. Your boyfriend's family has good genes." Everyone chuckled at that. Whatever Leonard was about to say died on the tip of his tongue when his daughter and his brother-in-law entered the room.

"Daddy!" She jumped into his arms.

"Hey, sweetheart. What did you do to your Uncle Fred?" His brother-in-law was covered in paint and glitter.

She just shrugged, "He helped me make a poster. You're early so it's not ready yet." He nodded at his daughter who wiggled out of his arms. "Hi, Miss Jim."

The woman in question knelt to his daughter's level and hugged her, "Hey, Jelly bean." Everyone watched as the two interacted with each other. He couldn't help but smile and his mama gave him the I-saw-that nudge. He had no idea what they were talking about but they chatted away.

Then Jo pointed at George and whispered, "Who is he?"

Jim chuckled, "That's my big brother, George. I call him Sam but I'm the only one."

Joanna looked at the tall blonde, "Hi Mister George. I'm Joanna."

George knelt down too, "Hello, Joanna. It's nice to meet you. Your dad and my sister talk about you all the time." Leonard looked at Jim, who smiled. Playboy George was gone as he talked to Leonard's little girl. Jim told him that her brother was good with kids, she wasn't kidding. Joanna wrapped that man around her finger -just like she had the rest of them- in no time flat.

Eventually, they got settled in and Leonard walked into the kitchen where his mama and sister were baking. "Alright, go ahead."

The two women looked at him and his sister started, "I like her, hell, I like them both. They're sweet and Joanna likes them. You know her, she doesn't like everybody." He nodded. It was Jocelyn's fault; her father and Clay were not nice people and his daughter knew it. Clay tried to force her to call him daddy at one point but she refused, she told him that she already had a daddy. He laughed his ass off when Donna let him in on that one.

"Mama?" he asked.

They both looked at their mother, "I don't know yet, Sug. I liked Jocelyn and that she-devil broke your heart and tried to take my grandbaby. Let me get to know Jim a bit before I make up my mind." Leonard smiled; she could've said 'no' but the fact that she didn't was a good thing. They were going to be here a few days, so his mama had time.

"You love her, don't ya, Lenny?" Donna asked.

He looked at his sister, "Yea. I do. And for the millionth time, stop callin' me that."

Donna chuckled, "Jim has a nickname for you. Where did that whole Bones thing come from?"

He was about to answer when Jim walked into the room, "The only thing that Jocelyn let him keep."

His sister laughed, "I get it. You meet her?" Jim nodded as a look crossed her face.

His mama looked at Jim, "You don't like her much, I see."

"No, ma'am, I don't. It's not even about Bones, he's an adult and he can take care of himself. It's about Joanna. If you hate your ex, fine but don't make your kid suffer," Jim said to his mother and sister.

Donna looked at Jim, "Sounds like you've had some experience with that."

George entered the room behind Jim, "Our mother tried to kill her. We don't talk about it much but it happened. She was four and I was eight. If I hadn't walked in…" He stopped talking and shook his head.

Jim wrapped her arms around his waist, "It wasn't your fault and I'm fine."

The tall blonde nodded, "I know. Still, she's our mother. I couldn't believe she would do that to you. I'll never forgive her for it."

Jim did tell him the whole story. It involved little Jim and a bathtub full of water. George had to bite Winona's arm to get her to let Jim's head go. He prayed to everything that was holy that he never met Winona Kirk.

Mama looked at Jim and George, "You said your papa was off planet. What did he think about all this?"

Jim took a breath, "He's our adopted dad but he still has to be kept away from her. She tried to talk to me once. Popped up in San Francisco like it was nothing. I have never seen the look that crossed dad's face before or since. He practically growled at her and when she tried to make a move for me; he almost knocked her on her ass. Told her to stay the hell away from me and Sammy."

Donna shook her head, "She makes Jocelyn sound like a saint."

Jim chuckled, "Not really. Evil is evil."

Mama chuckled, "Ain't that the truth, child." Donna and mama asked Jim more questions and they kicked Leonard and George out of the kitchen.

He kissed Jim's temple, "You'll be fine."

George couldn't contain his laughter, "The girl is like a real-life superhero, fighting Romulans and flying spaceships and hacking computers like it's nothing but put her in a room with your mom and your sister and she's terrified.

He chuckled, "Well, mama is scarier than the Romulans. We all know they want to kill us but ya won't know that mama will hurt ya 'til it's too late."


	11. Chapter 11

"A little church ain't gonna kill us, Bones," Jim said to him before she went upstairs to find something to wear.

He should've known that his mama would insist on everyone going to the Christmas Eve evening service. He wanted to avoid it, if for no other reason than to avoid Jocelyn. He talked to her a little when he dropped Joanna off the last time and nothing with Clay had changed. He wanted to feel bad for her but he couldn't; he felt bad about the situation but his mama was keen on saying that you reap what you sow and Jocelyn had plenty of reaping to do. Jim and George didn't seem to mind his mother's request. Donna and Fred would meet them there.

"Go change, Leo."

He smiled at his mama. "Yes, ma'am."

When they got to the church, his brother-in-law was waiting outside. "Donna went in already. Heads up, Jocelyn and Clay are here. And I saw Edward Darnell." His ex-wife was bad enough; her husband and her dad were kinda worse. Edward wouldn't bother him too much but Clay was an asshole.

Jim took his hand, "It's cool, I got your back."

Fred chuckled, "Her, I like."

Fred grew up with Leonard and Donna. His father was a doctor who worked with their dad so Fred was practically family his whole life. He wasn't surprised when Donna and Fred started dating or when they got married. Fred never liked Jocelyn and his wasn't shy about it. Leonard kinda felt like an idiot for not listening to the guy who was essentially his big brother about her. He had warned him, more than once. When the whole thing fell apart, Fred didn't rub her infidelity in Leonard's face, he simply told Leonard that he was hoping that he was wrong. Fred's approval of Jim was just as important as his mother's approval.

They walked into the church together and Leonard was pulled into greetings with people he hadn't seen in years. They all asked about life in Starfleet but there wasn't much to tell, other than training cruises, he was still in school.

Jim let his hand go in time for his eight year old to jump into his arms, "Hi daddy."

He chuckled, "Hey Jo. Where you sitting?"

She looked at him, than Jim and George before she looked at him again, "Can I sit with you?" He nodded as the group made it to where Donna had saved them some seats. He saw Jocelyn when he walked past where she was sitting; she acknowledged that Jo was with him so she could stop looking around for her. Joanna stayed with him for about 30 seconds before she ended up sitting on Jim's lap, whispering to George.

They were all settled in time for the choir to sing a few carols. Then a duet of _O Holy Night_ by a brother and sister that went to school with Joanna before everyone sat and listened to the pastor's message. He talked about the reason for the holiday and how important it was to care for others; stuff that Leonard –and Jim- could surely relate to. He looked at his girlfriend and his daughter, they were both paying attention to the pastor but Jim glanced at him and smiled. He reached over and held her hand before turning his attention back to the front of the room. After another song and a prayer, the service came to an end. Of course, his mother wanted to chat with people, which meant they had to stick around for a little while.

It would've been okay but his former father-in-law approached him, "Leonard."

He looked at the man, "Edward."

Jim touched his shoulder, "You alright, sweetheart?"

He nodded, "Yea, darlin'. This is Edward, Jocelyn's father and Clay, her husband."

She smiled at them, "Hi, I'm Jim."

Clay huffed, "What kind of name is that?"

She smiled, "It's short for James, which is derived from the Hebrew name Jacob which means to supplant. Or to gain the place of and serve as a substitute for especially by reason of superior excellence or power. I guess my father was just calling it like it is. It used to be a boy's name but it's popularity as a girl's name has increased over the last century. If memory serves, Clay just means mortal." He wanted to laugh at the look on Clay's face, that's what he gets for talking about her name.

Jim then turned her attention to Jocelyn, "How are you feeling?" Anyone else would've been a bitch but Jim genuinely wanted to know and Jocelyn could tell.

"I'm doing okay. My morning sickness isn't as bad as it was with Joanna," Jocelyn told her. The two men with her didn't seem to care one bit about the child that going to be the newest addition to their family.

"That's good. My first CO was pregnant during one of our short tours; she said that ginger tea helped." Jocelyn actually smiled and thanked her. It was good advice, especially from someone who's never been pregnant.

"So, you're in Starfleet too?" Edward asked.

Jim smiled at him, "Yes, sir, I am."

Clay looked her up and down, "What as a yeoman or something?" By now, George, Donna, Fred and mama were all standing with them.

"No, I'm a tactical officer with a PhD in Engineering, proficiencies in small arm and hand-to-hand combat, diplomacy, astrophysics and I speak fourteen languages." George and Fred both chuckled at the looks that Edward and Clay had on their faces, even Jocelyn smirked.

"Zergatik uste du denek zara lelo bat?" George whispered to her, not that any of them understood what he said.

She chuckled, "Ideia ez dut. Ez dut begiratu muda."

Joanna looked at them from Fred's arms, "What language was that?"

Jim and George both said, "Basque." Joanna nodded, her eyes the size of saucers.

"I'll teach it to you if your parents say it's okay," George told her. Joanna looked at her mom and then her dad but Clay spoke before either of them could.

"No. You can't."

George raised an eyebrow, "I know her father, you aren't him."

Donna touched his arm, "George, it's okay. He's a jerk. Always has been."

Clay looked at Donna, "You jealous, Donna?" Leonard looked at his sister, she looked like she was gonna puke.

"Not even close. I have standards and they would never be low enough for you."

Jim tried to intervene, "We're in a church, maybe we should go."

Clay looked her, "Why, so you can bang Leo and his friend?"

"Clay?" even Jocelyn knew that was too far.

Jim took a breath, "Just because you couldn't wait until Jocelyn left Len before you slept with her doesn't mean the rest of the world cheats. You need to watch what you say about people you don't know, especially with Joanna nearby. You want to play her daddy than have some respect for her. You should also have some respect for your wife and your unborn child while you're at it. For the record, I would never _bang_ George, he's my brother. _And_ I love Len too much to cheat on him. Last thing I would ever want is for him to get hurt by me or anyone else. My advice, say 'Merry Christmas' and take your pregnant wife home because she's exhausted." What? Leonard looked at Jim. She loves him.

Edward smiled, "It was nice to meet you, Jim, George. Merry Christmas everyone."

Jocelyn smiled and gave them all a tired wave, "See you tomorrow." Joanna was going with the McCoy's and Jocelyn would stop by at some point to spend part of the day with her. Clay just glared as his wife tugged him out of the church. Jim glared back.

"That was awesome!" Fred was looking at Jim like she just saved the world.

Donna chuckled, "Nobody can ever shut him up."

"Say it again," Leonard said to Jim.

She looked at him, "What?"

He smiled, "Say it again."

Jim chuckled, "I love you, you idiot. Can we go home now?"

Leonard smiled, "Yes, ma'am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Basque is a real language. I just picked something random on the translator, I wanted Jim and Sam to have their own thing. Here's what they said:
> 
> Zergatik uste du denek zara lelo bat?- Why does everyone think you are an idiot?  
> Ideia ez dut. Ez dut begiratu muda.- I have no idea. I don't look dumb.


	12. Chapter 12

"Aren't you to big for this, Jimmy?" Leonard looked up as George walked into the room with Jim on his back.

She laughed, "Come on, Sammy. Don't act like you don't get a kick outta givin' me a piggy back ride. It takes you back to simpler times, when we were runnin' around without a care in the universe. Now, we gotta be adults most of the time."

He chuckled as he sat Jim on her feet, "Okay, okay... you win that one. You're lucky I love ya, short stack."

She elbowed him lightly in the stomach, "I'm not short, you're just really tall." It was true, Jim is five feet and ten inches tall, her brother comes at six feet, two inches. It really wasn't fair that they were both brilliant and gorgeous.

Donna looked at them, "Are they always like this?"

Jim said, "yes," at the same time that George said, "no." They looked at each other than at Donna before they both muttered, "Sometimes."

Mama laughed, "Alright, ya'll. Gimme hugs."

The holiday had come and go faster than Leonard would've liked but there wasn't much that he could do about it. They had to get back to California. He watched on as his mama hugged Jim and George, then handed George a container.

"Is this...?"

She smiled, "My pecan pie." George looked like Joanna did when she was opening gifts.

"I think I'm in love," he told her. Mama gave him another hug before hugging Jim again, whispering something in her ear and kissing her forehead. Donna, Fred and Joanna moved in to take their turns hugging the Kirk siblings.

"You picked good this time. I approve," his mama whispered in his ear.

Leo smiled, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yea, really. You take care of her, sug."

"I don't know if you noticed but she doesn't need me to take care of her," he told his mama.

She smiled, "True, she doesn't need you. She wants you and she loves you. That's so much better."

Before he could say anything else, his daughter collided with his legs, "Do you really have to go, daddy?"

He picked her up, "Yea, sweetheart. I really gotta go but I'll be back in a couple weeks, I promise."

She took his face in her small hands, "You better or I'm gonna have Miss Jim to get you."

The whole family burst into laughter and Jim smirked and stood at attention, "Yes, ma'am. I will retrieve your daddy for you, ma'am."

Joanna smiled, "See daddy, she's got my back. Don't make me send her after you."

He looked at Jim, "This is your doing?"

Jim shook her head, "Don't look at me, she's your kid, Bones."

* * *

He wasn't sure which one he hated more, the transporters or shuttles. At least with transporters, it was over in less than a minute. After another round of goodbyes, Jim comm'ed a friend at the transporter station at HQ and had them back in San Francisco in a flash. "Home again, we're home again," George sang. They all stepped off the transport pad but didn't leave the room. George gave Leonard a guy hug, "Thanks for taking us with you."

Leo smiled, "No problem. It had to happen eventually. 'Sides, my mama loves ya'll."

George had to get back to work, "See yea, Jimmy."

She pulled him into a hug, "Love ya, Sammy."

"I love you too, sis." He kissed her cheek, grabbed his stuff and hopped onto the pad to head back to Coronado. He waved at them right before he was beamed out.

"So, when's your first class tomorrow?" Jim asked him.

Leonard had checked his schedule before they left Georgia, "I'm all yours until ten hundred."

She smiled, "Well, wouldn't you know... that's when my first class starts. We're just gonna have to find something to occupy our time."

The downside of going to his mother's house was the lack of privacy and the fact that Jim and Joanna shared one room while Leonard and George shared another. They barely made it into Jim's apartment before they were all over each other, dropping their bags right inside the door. "Bones," she whispered when he kissed her neck. She pushed of his jacket before sliding her hands under his shirt, Leonard closed his eyes as the feel of her fingers on his body. They were blindly making their way further into the apartment, he wasn't sure that they'd make it to Jim's bedroom. Leonard pushed her jacket off, reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

"Geez, kid!" Leo felt like ice had been dumped over his head at the sound of Pike's voice. Jim closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder for a second before looking around the room to figure out where he tossed her shirt.

"What the hell is with you and Sam waltzing into my apartment like you own the place?" Leonard took a couple deep breaths, luckily, Jim stayed in front of him to hide the very obvious situation in his pants.

"Did I interrupt something?" the captain asked.

Jim glared at her dad and practically growled, "As a matter of fact, you did. What do you what?"

He chuckled, "I'm sorry, kid. I have some stuff I need you to look over for the Enterprise. And before you ask, no, I couldn't just send it to you."

He couldn't see her face but Leonard knew she rolled her eyes, "Fine."

"You alright, McCoy?" Pike asked with a smile.

Leonard looked at him, "Not really, sir." He was uncomfortable and Pike knew it.

The older man nodded, "I'll just leave this with you, Jim. You and George have fun in Georgia?"

She snatched the PADD outta Pike's hand, "I love you, dad, but you need to go, _now_."

He chuckled as he headed out the door, "I'm going, I'm going. McCoy, stop by my office tomorrow."

He mumbled, "Yes, sir," as Pike walked out of Jim's apartment. They could both hear him laugh as he walked away from the door.

Jim sat the PADD on the table and faced Leo, "My dad walked on us."

He nodded and she burst into laughter, "He used to walk in on Sam all the time but that's the first time he's ever walked in on me. A few more minutes and he would've seen a lot more of both of us."

Leo laughed with her, "Okay, I'll give you that one."

Jim stepped closer to him, "Wanna finish what we started, Bones?" She had stopped laughing and her beautiful eyes locked with with his. She took his breath away every time he looked at her.

"I would love to, darlin'." Jim took his hand and pulled him into her bedroom.


	13. Chapter 13

"Before you ask, you aren't in trouble and this isn't about yesterday but part of it is about Jim," Pike told him after he sat down in his office.

"Understood, sir," there wasn't anything else he could say, so he waited. Pike looked at him, "I'm sure you know that Jim's birthday is on January 4th."

Leonard nodded, everyone in the Federation knew her birthday was only a few days from now. She told him that she could get away with skipping it most years –like she did last year- but this year was the 25th anniversary of the attack on the Kelvin and all eyes would be on her.

"I hate that they ordered her to attend the ceremony this year. When she was a minor they had to ask my permission but after she joined up they just order her to go. She skipped the last few by volunteering to go out in the black, but that meant she couldn't spend the day with me or George. There's nothing we can do about the official stuff but I figured that you, me and George could get her outta here for the rest of the day. You in?" Pike looked at him.

Leonard nodded, "Yes, sir."

Pike smiled, "Good. George has an idea, so I'll let you know what the plan is. Just a heads up, you're gonna be ordered to attend whatever they cooked up this year, your whole class is. They want her to speak but I won't hold my breath, she said no and Archer is backing her up," Pike was just delivering all kinds of news today.

"I understand, sir," he told the older man.

Pike nodded and looked at a PADD, "Another reason I wanted to see you was because I have an offer for you."

Leo was intrigued, "Sir?"

"I'm putting together a crew for the Enterprise, I want you on the ship." Leonard hadn't considered working on a ship, he was fine with taking a planet-side posting but there was a very big part of him that wanted to go with them, with Jim. "I know you wanna stay on the ground to be near your daughter, I get it, but you're too good a doctor to waste around here. I'm offering you a spot as a senior medical officer. I don't need an answer right now, I just need you to think about it," Pike looked at him.

Leaving Jim and George had to be some of the hardest days in Pike's life. Tarsus Four only made that feeling worse, Pike left them somewhere that they should've been safe but everything went to hell anyway and their saving grace was that Pike made sure his kids could take care of themselves. Most of Leonard's classmates didn't get what it meant to leave your child somewhere but Pike understood.

Leonard nodded, "I'll do that, sir."

"Good. Now, how was Christmas?" the older man asked him. Leonard told him about what the whole trip but when he told him what happened with Clay, Pike laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes.

"That's my girl. She doesn't stand for people talkin' about her name or her brother. He's lucky you were in a church because she edited herself. I wish I was there." Pike had taken an group of volunteers out on a training exercise over the holiday, he drew the short straw.

"We took tons of holos, I'll send you some copies, sir." They talked a little more until Pike's yeoman knocked on the door and stepped into the room.

"Sir, your daughter is here."

Pike smiled, "Send her in." Leonard was about to say something but stopped as Jim walked into the room.

"You asked to see me, sir?"

He chuckled, "Yea, kid. Sit down. McCoy, you're dismissed."

Leonard nodded and stood at attention for a second, "Sir, ma'am." He glanced at Jim –who smiled at him- before leaving the room.

* * *

"Was the door supposed to let me in like that?" Jim was sitting on the couch in a tank top and a pair of shorts, reading a PADD and looking through schematics.

She smiled, "Yep. I added your biometrics to the lock." It took half a second for his brain to catch up with her meaning.

"In other words, you gave me a key."

She smiled and stood up, "I did. Mi casa es su casa." My house is your house.

Leonard smirked as he stepped into her personal space, "I actually understand basic Spanish, senorita. Are you sure?"

She looked at him, "Would I do something if I wasn't sure? You know better, Doctor McCoy." She kissed his jaw, "You have on too many clothes." He chuckled as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair.

"Is that so?" She nodded as she unbuttoned his shirt and pressed kisses along his neck. Jim slid the shirt over his shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Leo pulled the tank top over her head and ran his fingers along her skin.

"Leonard," she whispered against his lips and it sent a jolt through him. He slid her shorts down her legs as she moved her hands to his waistband and unfastened his jeans and pushed them and his boxers off.

Leonard pulled her against his body and kissed her, hard. Jim pulled away so that she could gently push him onto the couch and straddle him. Her eyes locked with his as she slowly slid onto him. "Oh God, Jim." He held her hips as she took her time moving over him, kissing any part of her that he could reach. She rode him slowly at first and he rose to meet her. He looked at her; Jim's eyes were half-closed and her skin flushed, "God, you're so damn beautiful."

She chuckled as he tangled his hands in her hair and pulled her down for a kiss. Soon, her rhythm faltered and Leonard took control, flipping them over. He wanted to go slow but they were both too close and her body was tightening around him. Leonard pushed them both over the edge, Jim's body quivered around him. He looked at her, she closed her eyes and a smile crossed her features. "I love you, darlin'."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, "I love you too."

"We should get up, wouldn't want your dad to pop in again," He said after taking a breath.

Jim laughed, "Yea that was embarrassing enough the last time." Leonard reluctantly untangled himself from her, got up and pulled on his jeans, he would've put his shirt back on but Jim beat him to it.

"I think you look better in my clothes then I do."

His girl smirked, "I'll agree to disagree." She went into the kitchen for a minute and came back with a glass of water, "So, wanna tell me what my dad called you into his office for? I hope it wasn't about yesterday."

"No, he offered me a job," Leonard told Jim as they sat on her couch.

She smiled, "He wants you on the ship, so do I. Aside from the obvious reasons, I think you'd like it. The USS Enterprise is a technological marvel and the sickbay is one of the most advanced in the fleet."

He looked at her, "Are you trying to recruit me, darlin'?"

Jimsmirked, "Just talking to my boyfriend about what I'm working on." He was thinking about it, he'd be an idiot not to even consider the idea of serving on the flagship. The fact that Jim would be on the ship only made the idea more appealing.

"I don't know if I wanna leave Joanna like that."

Jim smiled, "I know. You should talk to her, she's a smart kid. That was always a factor on a lot of dad's assignments. Some people don't realize that family members are part of Starfleet too. Take it from a fleet kid, she might have an opinion on the matter." Leonard hadn't thought of that but it made sense.

"I will do that, darlin'."


	14. Chapter 14

The smile on Jim's face was the only reason he agreed to this. He might have to kill George for this one of these days. Who the hell takes his little sister Orbital Skydiving? The man is crazier than Leonard thought.

"Nervous, Bonesy?" He looked at her and nodded. Jim smiled, "I would never let anything happen to you. And look at the bright side, you don't have to do the qualifying jump for the credits."

Leo looked at her then over at Pike, who nodded, "I can sign off on it, as long as you land on target." Well, that was good news. Whoever made it a requirement to jump out of a perfectly safe shuttle was an idiot.

"Alright, Captain, Commander and Docs, we are closing in on your drop point. I hope you have a wonderful jump and thank you for choosing to fly with Mitchell Space-flights."

Jim laughed, "Oh, Mitch... I love ya, dude."

Leonard heard Lieutenant Commander Mitchell laugh from the cockpit, "Love you more, Jimbo. Happy birthday, crazy girl." If he didn't know who Mitchell was, he wouldn't have thought that he was the same man who taught him to fly, he was way too cheerful.

"Last chance to back out, Leo," George said from next to him. This wasn't about him, it was about Jim. He told her that he would jump, so he's gonna jump.

"I'm good," the southern doctor was determined to do this. The four of them secured their helmets and prepared to drop. Mitchell counted them down and Leonard got a look at Jim before they all shot out of the shuttle.

"That was _awesome_!" Jim jumped into his arms and kissed him when they were back on the ground.

He couldn't help but to laugh with her, "I'll admit that it was cool. Don't tell anyone I said that, I have a reputation to protect."

She smiled and shook her head as he placed her on her feet, "I won't tell anyone that you aren't as scared of space or as grumpy as you appear." They joined her dad and brother as the shuttle sat down.

"Not bad, McCoy," Pike said to him.

"Yea, man. I didn't even think you'd do it but you're a natural."

Jim whacked him in the arm, "Watch it, George. I'll tell Gary about th..."

George put his hand over her mouth, "Don't even think about it." Leonard couldn't figure out what the deal was with George and Mitchell, in all fairness, Jim hasn't figured it out either.

Pike laughed at the pair, "Alright, children. Chow time, unless you wanna stay here. I'll take McCoy and Mitchell with me."

George gave Jim a look before he let her go, "I'm with you, dad."

She nodded, "Me too." They made their way onto the shuttle.

Pike shook his head, "You and Mitchell are very brave men because those two are crazy."

Leonard chuckled, "Yea, but we love 'em."

Pike looked at him, "Yes, yes we do."

* * *

"Don't tell me you're hurt." She looked at him as he gave her a quick once over. Nothing seemed to be wrong but she was holding a hand behind her back.

Jim just chuckled, "Perfectly fine. You got a sec and somewhere private?" He nodded and led her to the office he shares with some of the other doctors. As soon as he shut the door, she produced a cupcake from behind her back, "Happy birthday, Bonesy." He smiled. Leonard was assigned to work on his birthday and he wasn't expecting anything –mostly because he told her that January 20th was just another day- but Jim wasn't having it.

"Thank you, darlin'." He gave her a kiss and took a bite of the cupcake. How the hell?

Jim smirked, "Your mom gave me the recipe."

He swallowed, "She gave you the red velvet recipe?"

She shrugged, "I told her that it was for you so she gave it to me. Why is that... is something wrong with that?"

Leonard shook his head, "No, it's just... only family gets it. Donna learned from mama, mama learned from grandma McCoy and so on. Mama wouldn't even give the recipe to Jocelyn."

Jim thought about it for a moment then smiled, "Well, I guess your mama thinks I'll be around for a while."

He nodded, "Yes, ma'am, I believe she does. My mama is usually right about these things."

"Your mama is usually right about a lot of things. I should let you get back to work. I love you, Bones. Happy Birthday," she said before giving him a kiss.

Leonard wrapped an arm around her and kissed her back, "I love you too. Thank you for my cupcake."

She smiled, "You are welcome, Doctor." She gave him a quick kiss again before leaving the room. That woman was gonna be the death of him.

* * *

The good mood he was in from talking to his daughter right after her birthday was gone. Jim was being charged with conduct unbecoming and falsifying academy records, Leonard's records. He couldn't figure out which was more insulting, the fact that someone is questioning his intelligence or the attack on her character.

"Cadet McCoy, the admirals are ready for you," it was a yeoman. He stood up, straightened his uniform and entered the room. Jim was standing in the center of the room while Pike, Mitchell, Doctor Boyce, Doctor Griffin and a Vulcan he didn't know were sitting in the chairs behind her.

"Cadet McCoy, front and center," Admiral Barnett ordered. He stood next to Jim and stood a parade rest like she was.

"Cadet McCoy, can you describe your relationship with Lieutenant Commander Kirk?" Leonard wasn't going to be that easy.

"No, sir. I can not," he told them. Admiral Komack, who asked the question, looked like he was slapped in the face.

"I beg your pardon, Cadet."

"I can not and will not describe whatever personal relationship I may or may not have with Lieutenant Commander Kirk. I will answer any questions about the erroneous charges attacking her and, indirectly, me but my personal life is none of this board's business," Leonard could almost feel the amusement rolling off of Jim and he caught the smile that Archer had on his face.

The old admiral nodded, "Cadet, Lieutenant Commander Kirk is being charged with violating the Academy's Code of Conduct. Namely, showing favoritism towards you and changing your grades." Doctor Griffin huffed from behind him, he was in charge of all the medical cadets, this was an insult to him too. Komack glared at them, "What do you have to say, cadet?"

Leo chuckled, "All due respect, sir, but have ya'll lost your minds? Commander Kirk has never been my instructor and aside from a training cruise last year in which she was the second officer on the ship, we haven't served together. You are accusing an outstanding officer of violating the regs to change my grades without any actual evidence. Further more, I'm insulted at your insinuation that I didn't earn my place, I'm a damn good doctor." He was gonna pay for that later but it would be worth it.

Jim nodded, "I have been in Starfleet for ten years, why would I ruin my career to alter the grades of anyone, especially Doctor McCoy? He's the top medical cadet in his class and third highest cadet overall. Changing his grades would be beyond pointless. I have the right to know who my accuser is." Most people wouldn't have noticed but he could hear the hurt in her voice.

Archer looked at her, "Cadet Mark Ramsey."

Leonard was gonna kill him, "Sirs, ma'am, you've been had. Ramsey hates me. Last year after Commander Kirk got hurt saving some cadets. I was treating her, Ramsey tried to take over and if I wasn't there he would've given her a medication that would've killed her. Doctor Boyce read him the riot act and he got demerits entered into his record. He's had it out for me since and she's just collateral damage."

Doctor Boyce confirmed his story and Doctor Griffin addressed the room, informing them that Leo's grades were the one's his instructors entered into the system and that he signed off on them. Lieutenant Commander Spock, the Vulcan he didn't know, informed the group that Jim hasn't accessed Leonard's file since their tour on the Hawking. Pike and Mitchell didn't speak but Leo figured that because they were her dad and best friend it was probably best that they didn't. Without any evidence, there wasn't anything they could do but drop the charges.

After they were dismissed, Jim leaned on the wall outside the room. "I'm sorry about this, Jim."

She shook her head, "You didn't do this. Ramsey did. Do me a favor and steer clear of him until graduation if you can." He nodded as Pike and Spock walked over. Jim smiled, "Thanks for the help, Spock. Bones, this is Lieutenant Commander Spock, he's dad's pick for first officer and is the best programmer in the fleet. Spock, this is Doctor Leonard McCoy." He nodded at the officer who simply looked at him.

Just then, an officer ran into the room where the admirals were. A moment later, Jim, Spock and Pike's communicators all went off.

"Bones get to shuttle bay one, Vulcan just sent up a distress call. Everyone in your class just got activated. I'll see you on the ship." She touched his shoulder before following her dad into another room.


	15. Chapter 15

This was all kinds of crazy. Nero, the man responsible for killing George Kirk Sr, just destroyed Vulcan. Spock's mother is dead. Jim is –reluctantly- in command of the Enterprise because Nero is holding Pike hostage and she's the only one aboard with any real command experience in a combat situation. He was one of the only qualified doctors on the ship and with Puri's death, he was advanced to acting chief medical officer. The ship was a mess but mostly in one piece and full of refugees from the planet.

"Nero's heading towards Earth?" Jim asked.

A cadet from his class named Uhura, nodded at her, "Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain."

Jim took a breath, "Thanks, Lieutenant. Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume that every Federation planet is a potential target."

Chekov, the young Russian genius and the acting chief navigator, looked at her, "Vell, if ze Federation iz ze target, vhy didn't zey destroy us?"

The guy at the helm, Sulu, shrugged, "Why would they? Why waste a weapon? We obviously weren't a threat."

Jim and Spock looked at each other and the Vulcan spoke, "That is incorrect. He said he wanted me to see something. The destruction of my home planet."

Leonard looked at Spock, "How the hell did they do that, by the way? And where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?"

Spock looked at him, "The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer. Such technology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time."

"Damn it man, I am a doctor, not physicist, Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?" Leo was so lost, it wasn't even funny.

Spock looked at him, "If you eliminate the impossible, what ever remains, however improbable must be the truth _._ "

Leonard rolled his eyes, "How poetic."

Jim chuckled, "It's Sherlock Holmes, Bones." He glanced at her; of course Jim would know that. "Getting back on topic, you're only half-Vulcan, Spock. If he has a problem with you, Earth is next on his list and as Captain, Pike has details of Starfleet's planetary defenses. He won't volunteer intel, which means they'll torture him. He's tough but everyone has a limit. We need to figure out a way to catch that ship before they destroy another planet and, if we're lucky, get Pike back." He knew it hurt her to say but she was trying to think about everyone, not just her dad. Pike was one hell of an officer and tough as nails, hopefully, they'll get to him before Nero does any more damage. "We're still near Delta Vega?"

Sulu nodded at her question, "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled, "There's an outpost down there, we're gonna want to beam up that team to the ship." They all looked at her and she smirked, "One of the officers at that outpost is Lieutenant Commander Scott. He's one of the best engineers in the fleet and he worked with me building this ship, with Olsen dead, we need his help. Just don't bring up Archer's dog."

Leonard chuckled, this Scott guy beamed Archer's prized beagle… somewhere. Jim laughed her ass off when she found out that no one could find it. She even tried to help but it was no use and Archer was so pissed that he sent the engineer to the ice planet. The only reason Archer didn't do worse was because Jim went to bat for the guy.

Jim, Leonard and Spock went to the transporter room just as three figures materialized on the pad. Jim smiled, "Scotty, Keenser!" She hugged them both and the Scot looked at her.

"What the hell is going on, lass?" She gave him the quick rundown and told him to put on a clean uniform and get to work then she looked at the Vulcan.

"Fascinating, even in another reality, you are very much the same Jim Kirk that I've known for decades," the old man said to her.

Jim looked at him, "How do you know my name?"

He gave her a very un-Vulcan smile, "I have been and always shall be your friend. It is remarkably pleasing to see you, Jim. And you as well, Leonard."

She shrugged and glanced at Spock and then Leonard, "Look, we don't know you."

He looked at her, "I am Spock."

"Bullshit," Leonard and Jim said to the old man as he stepped off the pad.

Spock, their Spock, stepped forward, "I am Spock." Well, this is interesting.

Leo rolled his eyes, "This is great, now we got a delusional Vulcan on top of the crazy Romulan."

Spock, the older one, looked at him, "You mean Nero."

Jim nodded, "What do you know about him?"

The old man looked at her, "He is a particularly troubled Romulan. Please. Allow me." He raised his hand near her face, usually, she would hurt someone trying to touch her that she didn't know, but she just backed away.

"Whoa, whoa. What are you doing?" Jim asked.

"It will be easier. Our minds, one and together," Jim let the Vulcan touch her face in what Leonard was sure was a Vulcan mind meld. It didn't last long but when he pulled away, Jim had tears in her eyes.

She looked at Leo and their Spock, "129 years from now, a star goes supernova and destroyed everything in it's path, including Romulus. They outfitted a ship and using this… red matter stuff, creating a black hole. This Spock and Nero's ships were both pulled in. Nero got here the day I was born and Spock got here a few hours ago. Nero is exacting his revenge against Spock for the loss of his home… his family."

Leonard had touched her shoulder, "Jim?" She shook her head as if trying to clear the information that was passed to her mind.

The older Spock looked at her with pain in his eyes, "Forgive me. Emotional transference is an effect of the mind meld."

She nodded, "Going back in time, you changed all our lives… Where you came from… did I know my father?"

The Vulcan smiled again, "Yes. You often spoke of him as your inspiration for joining Starfleet. He proudly lived to see you become Captain of the Enterprise." Jim nodded and smiled a sad smile. She glanced at their Spock, who was staring at the other one.

"Spock, we have to figure out what to do with him, I don't know how well your dad would take his presence right now," she said to her friend.

Both Spocks nodded and said, "Understood, Captain."

Leonard looked at Jim, "That's creepy." The two Vulcans left the room. "You okay?"

She shook her head, "The man who killed my father is holding my other dad hostage. If we fail, my brother, your daughter… they're all on that planet and I'm the person in charge. I could be a lot better, Bones."

He pulled her into a hug, "You got this, darlin'. If anyone could pull this off, it's you."

She took a breath and pulled away, "I hope you're right."


	16. Chapter 16

"Wait a second. How old are you?"

He looked at Chekov, who smiled, "I'm sewenteen, sir."

He looked at his girlfriend, "Great, Jim, he's seventeen."

"Bones, I was in my last year at the academy when I was seventeen… What's your point?" she asked with a chuckle. He thought about it for a second, he knew that. The kid had a good –crazy- idea to save Earth. Scotty, as the new chief engineer likes to be called, would have to get the ship to warp four and they would have to drop out of warp behind Titan, using something about Saturn's rings to hide from Nero's sensors. Scotty and Jim seem to think that it'll work but Leo wasn't convinced.

"Doctor, Mister Chekov is correct. I can confirm his telemetry. If Mister Sulu is able to maneuver us into position, I can beam aboard Nero's ship, steal back the black hole device and if possible, bring back Captain Pike."

Jim looked at the tall Vulcan, "I can't let you do that, Spock."

He looked at her, "Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry. Our cultural similarities will make it easier for me to access the ship's computer to locate the device. Also my mother was human, which makes Earth the only home I have left."

"I'm coming with you and before you say that it's against regs, I know… the brass can suck it," she declared. Leonard smirked, there's his Jim.

Everything from that moment went unbelievably fast. Scotty, Jim and Spock got to work on the warp core, Sulu and Chekov were working on their trajectory. Uhura looked at him, "You okay, Leonard?"

He took a breath, "I'm worried about my family and Pike… and Jim."

The communications officer nodded, "I'm right there with you, my family and the Captain and Spock." Her relationship with the Vulcan wasn't common knowledge, he only knew that she was seeing a Vulcan because he was her doctor but he didn't know who. "You think they can pull this off?" Uhura was scared, they all were.

He nodded, "Jim doesn't believe in no-win scenarios. She'll fight until she's got nothing left, then she'll fight some more. She's the last person Nero should've pissed off. Her entire life was shaped by his actions the day she was born. He took one father from her… she'll kill him before he takes the other." He knew that Jim was keeping the daughter part of herself under lock and key, it was the only way she could do her job. She was gonna break when this was over; Jim said it herself, they all had their limits, even her.

* * *

"I'm glad I got talked into going out for that drink," he told her as they stood in the transporter room.

Jim smiled, "So am I. To think, we could've never met."

He chuckled, "Well, you heard the old Vulcan, even in another reality we knew each other. Maybe it was just meant to be. Come back to me, darlin'."

She nodded, "Always." She gave him a kiss; it was short but full of love. They didn't say the words, they didn't need too. Leonard watched as Jim stepped onto the pad next to Spock as Uhura stepped off and stood next to him.

Scotty was manning the transporter, "Alrighty then. If there's any common sense in the design of the enemy's ship, I should be putting you somewhere in the cargo bay, shouldn't be a soul in site. Good luck." Jim nodded and glanced at Leonard before her whole demeanor shifted into soldier mode.

"Energize."

"They'll be okay, right?" Uhura asked from next to him.

He looked at her, "Yea."

What else was he gonna say? He had to hope that they would be alright. Leonard prayed for the first time in years that the woman he loved would find her dad and come back. He touched Uhura's arm and they both left the room, he went to medical and she went to the bridge. There was nothing for them to do but their jobs. He doesn't know how long he was there but Scotty comm'ed to tell him that Jim and Spock were being beamed back. He grabbed a medical team and ran to the transporter room; Uhura met them halfway. Jim was standing on the pad, literally holding Pike up. The man looked like hell.

"Jim," he called.

She looked relieved, "Bones."

He ran up to her and took Pike's other side, "I got him, darlin'." At some point, they all said 'fuck it' to formalities.

She nodded, "Dad?"

Pike smiled at her, "I'm in good hands, kid. Go give that bastard hell." Jim smiled at her dad and ran out of the room with Spock and Uhura as one of the nurses helped him with Pike. They moved the man to a mobile bio-bed.

"I gave them the codes to the defense system. I didn't want to but they put this thing… a Centaurian slug down my throat. Nero explained it to me; it's latched on my brain stem and releases a toxin that forces you to tell the truth to any question asked," Pike told him.

Leo chuckled, "A truth bug? That's just great. Don't worry, I'll get it out before anyone asks you any life or death questions." Leonard had a few he'd want the captain's response too.

Pike gave him a knowing -pained- smile, "How is she?"

"She'd be a lot better if she wasn't in command. She and Spock are both compromised, but she's got more years in service and more practice controlling... everything. Spock resigned command after his mother was killed." Leonard wasn't usually this chatty with patients but he needed to keep the Captain's mind on something other than the pain he was feeling until they could figure out what medication to give him. The man was lucky that he didn't have Jim's allergies.

Pike nodded, "She was my first pick for XO but the brass wouldn't let me do it, despite her outstanding record. I managed to convince them to make her second officer by the skin of my teeth. Part of me wishes that she took the XO spot on one of the dozen or so ships that have offered in the last few years but this ship is her baby." Leonard nodded, he was actually more pissed about it then Jim was; she understood why the brass needed to have someone else as the first officer, even if she didn't like it. Pike looked up at him, "Jim is 'controlled chaos' as her brother likes to say. You never know what she's gonna do but she's brilliant enough to end everything you've ever known to protect her own. Nero… she's gonna kill him. The look on her face when she saw me… I've only ever seen it once."

Leonard knew what he meant, "Tarsus."

Pike nodded, "She told you?"

Leo shook his head, "George did. She filled in some of the gaps though." As they entered medical, Leonard started issuing orders to his staff and asked if anyone on the ship know anything about the slug. One of the Vulcan refugees, a woman named T'Nan, happened to be a xeno-entomologist and offered her help. Leonard was actually impressed that so many of the Vulcans were helping all over the ship, even Spock's dad.

Leonard took a breath as they got Pike ready for surgery. One wrong move… and he could kill him. Breathe, he just had to breathe. He looked at the man laying on the bed as he walked into the room; Pike was the commanding officer of this ship, his advisor, the man who recruited him, challenged him and most importantly, his girlfriend's dad. Jim was two for three as far as parents go, he wasn't gonna to let her lose another one, not if he could help it. "Doctor McCoy, we're ready," the nurse, Chapel, informed him.

He nodded, "Here goes nothing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xeno-entomologist= person who studies alien bugs


	17. Chapter 17

He doesn't know how he did it, but he got that damn slug thing outta Pike without destroying the man's ability to walk. It would take some rehab but they'll get Pike on his feet again. Leonard had just checked in with the bridge and was actually surprised to learn that the acting senior staff split into two and half of them –Jim, Sulu and Scotty- went to bed almost an hour ago. Jim, Sulu, Spock, Scotty and Chekov figured out where they were, how to get back, what had to be fixed and got repairs underway while he was working on Pike. Spock had the con now and barring an emergency, Jim would take it from him in six hours.

Leonard stopped by the quartermaster to find out where he was assigned quarters and learned that he would be the CMO's room. There was a small part of him that felt bad that he was taking Puri's spot but the quartermaster informed him that because of the damage to different parts of the ship and all the extra people, everyone had at least one roommate. He made his way to what was gonna be his room for the next week. It wasn't exactly what he expected, aside from a sleeping form on the bed and two stacks of clean clothes, the place was bare. He knew that the lack of personal effects was because the ship wasn't supposed to be in the black yet but it was still a little unsettling. He didn't ask who his roommate was but he figured that it was probably Jim, when he stepped further into the room, he realized that he guessed right.

Leonard pulled his uniform off and went to take a quick shower. Hot water didn't seem like much to most people but right now, it was the best damn thing in the universe. He didn't stay in the shower long, just long enough to wash the feel and smell of sickbay off. He hit the control for the water and grabbed a towel. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked into the room to find Jim awake. "How's dad?"

He took a breath, "He's got a lot of work in his future but we'll have him on his feet again. He's asleep right now but they'll let us know when he's awake. How did we end up in the same room?"

She sighed, "I gave up my quarters and the Captain's quarters to the refugees. I had us assigned as roommates, we both gotta sleep somewhere. And I prefer you over Chekov or Scotty… they talk _a lot_."

Leo chuckled, "Not worried about the brass?"

"I saved the world, they can kiss my ass," was her response.

He smiled and gave her a quick once over, "Who tried to strangle you?" He could feel his blood starting to boil.

Jim touched the handprints on her neck, "Nero… and his first officer. Not at the same time but it still hurt like a bitch. Before you go all 'doctor' on me… I broke my wrist and three ribs. My eye was already startin' to bruise when I took my shower. And my throat will heal but my voice is gonna be scratchy for the next few days." He gave her a look; since when did Jim seek medical attention without being forced, sedated or carried? She smiled, "Spock insisted and checked me over himself." Well, he might like Spock just a little bit but Nero, he was lucky Jim killed him already. "Come on, bedtime," she grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the bed.

"I should probably put something on," he muttered.

Jim chuckled, "I didn't. Come on." He tossed his towel on a chair and joined her under the covers. The bed was roomy for one person, not so much for two. Jim and Leonard were practically on top of each other, not that they minded. Leonard wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against his chest, mindful of her ribs.

"We lost so many people, Bones. I had colleagues and students on those ships. I have no idea where Mitch or Finney are. That… psycho tortured my dad… I…" she stopped mid-sentence but he understood what she was thinking; they very easily could've lost everything.

"You stopped Nero and you saved Earth."

She nodded against his chest, "Yea, but we lost Vulcan."

He took a breath, "Yea, we did. That's not on you, darlin'." She was gonna blame herself, anyone who knew Jim for more than five minutes knew that much.

"I know," she whispered against his skin.

He kissed her temple, "I love you, darlin'. Now go to sleep."

He felt her laugh, "I love you too, Bonesy."

* * *

"My nurses tell me that you're being a pain in their asses. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, Jim does the same thing," Leonard joked with Pike. The older man glared at him but didn't say anything as the woman in question walked in the room.

"Do I need to tell you to behave… sir?"

Pike smiled, "What makes you think I'll listen?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Don't answer a question with a question… it's rude." Pike laughed and asked for an update on the ship. Jim rattled off a bunch of stuff that Leonard wasn't paying attention to until the end. "We got comms back up a few hours ago. I already talked to HQ and Uhura is coming up with a rotation for the crew to comm their families."

Leonard looked at her, "How bad is it?"

Jim took a breath and looked at each of the men, "The Mayflower was at Vulcan before the rest of the ships showed up, all hands were lost, hell, we almost hit their hull. We also lost the Hood, the Newton, the Truman, the Antares, the Wolcott, the Odyssey, the Armstrong and… the Farragut. I could've been on that ship… Captain Chenowyth, Drake, Morgan, Morewood… they're all just… gone."

Jim served on the Farragut and she was even offered the spot as the XO. She told Leonard that Chenowyth was one of the first people she served with that saw her as an officer instead of as George Kirk's daughter. Before Jim and Leonard met, the Farragut deep-space assignment at Tycho IV. While exploring, some kind of cloud creature attacked and killed two hundred Farragut crew members, including the ship's commanding officer, Captain Steven Garrovick. Jim blamed herself for not acting fast enough but Chenowyth stated on the record that " _Lieutenant Kirk is a fine young officer who performed with uncommon bravery._ " The loss had to hit her hard, even if she didn't show it.

"James, look at me," Pike said to her.

She took a breath and looked at him, "Yea dad?"

"This is not your fault, kiddo. I know you and you're gonna blame yourself but this is on Nero, not you. You stopped him from hurting anyone else, you saved me and Earth. _Do not_ make me order you not to blame yourself."

Jim smiled at him, "You would never order that. I get what you're saying, though. I can't help how I feel but we both know I won't worry about it until I get everyone home safe." He nodded and squeezed her hand. She sat with him some more before she was called to the bridge, "Clare's here." The Yorktown was sent to assist the Enterprise in their limp home.

"She's gonna kill me. She'll hug me first but then she'll kill me," Pike said to them.

Jim laughed, "You? What's she gonna do to me?" Leonard couldn't help but laugh at them. Jim and Pike both looked his way.

"You just took down a crazy Romulan from the future but one woman scares the crap outta ya'll."

Jim nodded, "Just like your mama." Leo watched as a smirk crossed her face, she had a damn good point; his mama was gonna hug him, then kick his ass for scaring the crap outta her.


	18. Chapter 18

The senior staff of the Enterprise –and Sarek, who stayed with his son- was the last group off the ship when they got back to Earth Spacedock. Unlike the rest of the crew, they were taken directly to HQ.

"Vhat do you zhink is gonna happen to us?" Chekov asked.

Jim sighed, "We have to debrief." Leonard didn't care, the faster they got this done, the sooner he could see his daughter.

The group was met by Admiral Archer, "You will all be asked to speak with the board in a few minutes, one at a time. Before that happens, there are some people you should see first." He motioned to the door next to him and they all walked into one of the conference rooms to find their families were waiting for them.

"Daddy!"

Leo caught the little girl as she jumped into his arms and held her tight, "Hey, sweetheart." Leonard didn't even pretend not to have tears in his eyes, he wasn't the only one. He barely registered his mama whacking his shoulder before wrapping her arms around him and Joanna, "I'm alright, mama." He was a lot better than most, just a bit tired but they all were.

"The reports said that nine ships were destroyed and that most of your class was killed. You scared the hell outta me, sug. I thought…" He kissed his mother's head, he knew what she thought. Fred and Donna joined the hug for a minute before everyone but Joanna let him go.

"Where's Miss Jim?" Jo asked

Leonard smiled, "She's over there with Mister George." The siblings were hugging each other just like everyone else. They stepped out of the hug but George kept an arm wrapped around Jim's shoulder.

"Can I give her a hug too?"

Leonard nodded at his daughter's question, "Yea, go ahead."

Leonard sat Joanna on her feet, "Miss Jim." He watched as Jim smiled and knelt down to hug Joanna.

"Jelly bean, did you get taller?" Jim asked. The little girl nodded as Jim wrapped her arms around his kid and just held her.

George smiled at the pair, "I think she missed Jo more than she missed me. You okay, man?" George gave him a quick hug as he nodded.

"Exhausted but we all are. You see your dad?" Leo asked.

George shook his head, "Not yet, they're getting him settled at medical. Uncle Phil is there, I wanted to be here when Jim touched down. I had to…" He stopped mid-sentence but Leonard knew where he was going.

"You had to see her with your own eyes. I had a few moments like that this week. She's crazy, brilliant but crazy."

Jim looked at him with Joanna in her arms, "I can hear you, Bones."

He smiled, "I know, darlin'." Mama and Donna both hugged Jim and Fred high-fived her before giving her a hug too.

Joanna leaned back to wipe the tears off of Jim's face, "Don't cry, Miss Jim."

Jim just nodded and smiled, "No promises, Jelly bean. I'm really happy to see you and these tears, are tears of joy." Joanna giggled as they all sat down -Jo on Jim's lap- and chatted with each other. Leonard was introduced to Sulu's parents and sisters, Scotty's sister and nephew, Chekov's parents, Uhura's parents, sisters and brother and Spock's aunt, who –according to Jim- looked so much like his mother it wasn't even funny. Eventually, a yeoman came into the room and asked Chekov to follow.

Jim chuckled, "Uhura's next, then Sulu, Scotty, Bones, Spock and they'll end with me, my debrief will be the longest."

Mama looked at her, "They won't let you see your papa?"

Jim shook her head, "I bet someone is getting his statement before they let me talk to him. That's gonna be a bone of contention… me in command of my dad's ship. Right now, they have to determine what happened to Captain Pike and how Lieutenant Commander Kirk ended up in command. The fact that we're related shouldn't be a factor but, like everything else in my life, it'll be all anyone gives a damn about."

"You did what you had to do to stop that maniac, Jimmy. If they can't see that, that's not your problem… it's theirs. I love you and I'm proud of you, sis, don't ever forget that," George said as he held her hand.

Jim smiled at her brother. "I love you too, Sammy." Leonard knew how worried she was about George. This wasn't about saving Earth to her, it was about her brother and his daughter.

One by one, they were pulled out of the room. Those who had already gone had come back and decided to wait it out with the others. Someone –Uhura, if he had to guess- even ordered food for them all while they waited. Eventually, it was his turn. "Doctor McCoy, follow me." He nodded at the yeoman and stood up to follow. U

hura stopped him and whispered in his ear, "Keep them on topic… you'll understand when they start asking questions." He thanked her and followed the yeoman into a room similar to the one he was in for Jim's hearing almost nine days.

He stood in front of the admirals for a minute before they acknowledged him, "Do you have any questions before we get started?" He recognized Admiral Johnson from the other hearing, she seemed to be one of the more reasonable officers in the group.

"Yes, ma'am. Is there an update on Captain Pike?" He genuinely wanted to know but he also wanted to tell Jim and George when he got back.

"He's giving Doctor Boyce a hard time. His vitals are good and stable and you'll have access after we're finished with the debriefings, he wants you to remain his doctor and Boyce agrees," she told him.

He nodded, "Thank you, ma'am." She smiled and Komack began to ask him questions. They were all pretty standard until they turned into questions about Jim.

"Did any of you question Kirk assuming command?" Komack asked.

Leonard looked at the man, "I didn't. I've seen her in action and I am well aware that she is capable of commanding a vessel."

Komack looked at him, "So you just assumed that it was okay for her to take over the ship?" This is why Uhura had warned him.

"Sir, Pike was given an impossible choice, go to the enemy ship or watch as we were all killed, he sacrificed himself for all of us. He thought that Lieutenant Commander Spock would be able to handle command. And Spock would've been fine but his homeworld, and the six billion people on it, was destroyed. His mother was killed. He may not show them but he has emotions and the person he loved the most was just… gone. He resigned command duties and as second officer that left Kirk in command of the ship. Even if she had stepped down, there was no one left to take command, we picked up Scott from Delta Vega, who was assigned as acting chief engineer after Olsen died and I got tossed CMO duties after Puri was killed. Sulu was next in line but this is his first real combat mission. I think given the extraordinary circumstances, Kirk being advanced to acting CO was pretty textbook."

Johnson and some of the others seemed to agree but Komack kept going, "Do you think that Pike's presence was the determining factor in Kirk's going on the away team?" Damn, he hates it when she's right.

"No, sir. She wasn't going to allow Spock to go alone. She speaks Romulan and has advanced hand-to-hand and small arms combat training, she was the only one who could go with him that wasn't a liability. We had no way of knowing if Pike was still alive, finding him was pure luck. Her determining factor was stopping Nero from destroying another planet." Leonard could almost bet that Sulu, Uhura, Chekov and Scotty were all asked that question. He had to keep the focus off Jim and on the mission itself.

"Doctor McCoy, in your professional opinion, do you think that Lieutenant Commander Kirk acted in an appropriate manner?"

He chuckled, "Depends, sir, on what we're talking about." Komack glared at him but Johnson told Leonard to elaborate before the man could say anything, "Kirk, went above and beyond the call of duty. Her actions saved this planet and the billions of people on it, including all of you. Captain Pike being her dad was not a factor in how she did her job, as a matter of fact, it may have been a hindrance. Pike would've and should've left her in command in the first place but everyone is more concerned about them being related than the fact that she has more years and a better service record than Spock. Nero is the bad guy, not Kirk. Maybe it's time people actually looked at her instead of looking for her biological and adopted fathers in her." They all gave him a look so he continued, "Captain Pike is a great man but he knows she's gonna pass him up the same way she did George Kirk. He's dead, she's just getting started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist Jim and Jo... plus a bit of protective!Bones.


	19. Chapter 19

While the brass was conducting debriefs and making their decisions, Jim wasn't allowed to do her job or any job for that matter. She was officially on administrative suspension and she hated every second of it. No teaching and no working on the Enterprise; even her visits with Pike were monitored. The woman needed something to do before she lost her mind. Leonard came up with an idea but he wasn't sure if it would work. The Vulcan Embassy was full of people and he had to be scanned in but Spock agreed to see him and met him in the lobby.

"You got a couple minutes, Commander?"

Spock looked at him, "I have 5 minutes and 44 seconds before I am needed, Doctor. How may I be of assistance?"

Leonard took a breath, "I know you, the other you and your dad are busy. Do you need a hand?"

Spock looked at him, "Are you offering your assistance, Doctor?"

Leonard shook his head, "No. I have enough work to do and I only speak a few Vulcan phrases, mostly medical. I'm talking about Jim. The brass has her waiting around for word on if she can go back to work and if we know anything about Jim, it's that she has to keep her mind busy."

Spock looked at him for a moment, "I understand. My father, the Elders and myself would be… grateful for any assistance she would be able to offer. I will contact her."

"Thanks." Leonard actually let out a sigh.

Spock looked at him, "How is Captain Kirk?" Spock and the rest of the crew was still referring to Jim as Captain, Leonard doubts that it'll change any time soon.

The doctor looked at the man in front of him, "Restless. She wants to work on the ship but she can't. It doesn't help that she has to ask permission to see her dad and someone sits in on the visits. I tried to get them some time alone but the brass isn't having it. I think I screwed up when I talked to them." Spock asked him how so he told him the cliff notes version.

"Everything you said was accurate. It would be unwise for the Admiralty to punish Captain Kirk based on your testimony." They talked for another moment before Spock had to get back.

"Thanks for this Spock."

The Vulcan looked at him, "Your thanks are unnecessary."

* * *

Leonard hated the fact that they were all back in class, mainly because it was so empty. The class he had at the moment had two people in it, him and Nurse Chapel, the instructor died on the Wolcott. Boyce entered the classroom and looked at them.

"Grab your stuff and come with me." The pair did as he asked and the three of them walked to a café near campus.

"I need real coffee, badly. Either of you want anything?" Boyce asked them. Leonard went with a coffee and Chapel had a chai tea. They went over the stuff from class and Boyce passed them.

"Sir?" Chapel asked at Boyce with confusion.

"You two know all this, there's no point in wasting time. I have the authority to pass you, so that's what I'm doing," Boyce told them. All of Leonard's medical classes went like that over the course of the week. The handful of people in them would be quizzed or questioned about the material and then passed.

At lunch with Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, he realized that it was the whole class. "Starfleet lost so many people, they have to get us out into the black," Sulu said to them.

Uhura nodded, "I had three classes crammed into one and there were still only a dozen people there."

Chekov shook his head, "Zhat is zhe only vay to hawe enough teachers. A lot of zhem vere killed vith zhe rest of our classmates." That was the sad reality. Looking around at the senior class, you could name everyone left because there just weren't that many of them. Most of them were on the Enterprise and a few didn't deploy for one reason or another. They went from being one of the biggest classes to graduate, to the smallest in a matter of minutes.

"Do you think they'll put most of us on the Enterprise?" Uhura asked them.

Sulu shrugged, "Depends on the CO." It wasn't gonna be Pike, the ship will be fixed a while before he gets cleared for duty.

"Vho do you zhink it vill be?" Chekov asked the older cadets.

"No clue," Sulu offered.

* * *

"Hello, Leonard." He had walked into Jim's apartment to find the older Spock sitting in the living room.

"Hello… Spock." Leonard was never gonna get used to that.

"Hey, Bones," Jim walked into the room and handed the old Vulcan a cup of tea. Leo liked Jim's look for working at the Embassy, it was still her style but a little more polished and he might have a thing for her legs when she's wearing a pencil skirt and heels. She caught him checking her out and smiled, " _Later_ , Bonesy." She stopped to give him a quick kiss before sitting on the couch, "How was class?"

He chuckled, "I passed… again. One left."

She smiled, "They gotta get ya'll in the fleet, if you know the information they aren't gonna waste your time or the fleet's." He smiled because, one, it was hot when she used 'ya'll' and, two, that's what they all thought.

"What are you working on?" he asked.

Jim smiled, "New Vulcan." He had to ask and they explained that they found a place to establish a colony for the roughly 10,000 survivors left from Vulcan's destruction and Jim was helping with that. The colony will be the capital of the Confederacy of Surak, the Vulcan government.

"Fascinating," Spock said to them.

Jim looked at him, "What?"

He smiled, "My Kirk and McCoy were very close. Almost like brothers in fact. Leonard and I rarely agreed about anything except the fact that Jim got into too much trouble. I would supply a logical course of action and Leonard would give a very humanistic argument and Jim would often ignore us both for an intuitive solution."

Leonard laughed, "Sound's like you."

She shrugged, "It's not always about the rules."

"Something you have ignored quite a few times in any reality. You and my Jim place more value on the lives of those around you than anything else. There is nothing Jim wouldn't do to protect the Enterprise and everyone on it. I have no doubt that will remain the same with you," Spock said.

"You really think they'll give her to me. Why?" Jim asked him.

Spock looked at her, "It is and always has been your destiny, Jim."

* * *

The fact that his whole class and a bunch of officers all fit into this room was sad. Jim was sitting with their Spock at the end of the row in her black instructor uniform, her suspension was lifted and she was ordered to show up just like the rest of them.

"This assembly calls Captain James T. Kirk," Admiral Barnett informed the room. To say she was shocked was an understatement; they didn't tell her that her field promotion held. Jim was actually convinced that she was getting demoted or kicked out a few hours ago. The Admiral smiled at her, "Your inspirational valor and supreme dedication to your comrades is in keeping with the highest traditions of service and reflect utmost credit to yourself, your crew and the Federation. It is my honor to award you with this commendation." His yeoman opened a small case and produced a medal, which Barnett pinned onto Jim's uniform.

"By Starfleet Order two-eight-four-five-five, you are to report to Admiral Christopher Pike, USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief," Barnett smirked at what Leonard was sure was a look of shock on Jim's face, she wasn't the only one. She walked over to Pike's wheel chair. The new Admiral pushed himself to his feet and stood in front of his daughter.

She looked up at him, "I relieve you, sir."

He nodded, "I am relieved."

Jim reached over and shook his hand, "Thank you, sir."

"Congratulations, Captain Kirk," Pike said with a smile before he whispered something to her as he sat down and she turned to face the room as it erupted in applause. Well, the old Vulcan was right.


	20. Chapter 20

"I don't know what to do, mama." He knew Jim would ask him to go with her; he didn't have an answer for her any more than he had an answer for Pike. What does a guy do when he doesn't have an answer to something? He asks his mama for advice.

"You already know what you want to do, Leo. You're just making it harder than it has to be," his mother told him as they sat on the porch. His whole class was officially graduated and given leave, Leonard decided to go home but Jim had to stay in San Fran.

"Joanna…"

His mama cut him off, "Thinks you should go and you know she does. You love Jim, Leo, anybody with eyes can see it. That woman loves you and if you stay, I have no doubt that she will to. She's not Jocelyn, she's not gonna just walk away. Do what feels right and you'll never regret it."

Would he regret not going with Jim? He already knew the answer to that and he knew there was nothing in the universe that she wanted more than being on the ship that she built. He couldn't let her turn down the ship to stay planet side with him.

* * *

"I can't believe I agreed to this," he said as he stood next to Jim on the turbolift.

"Ha, who are you trying to kid? There is no other doctor in the fleet, aside from Phlox and Phil that I could spend more than a couple weeks with. Besides, who else can get away with being brutally honest with me? Even Joanna thought this was a good idea. _And_ … you'd miss me too much." Damn, she had him.

Taking an assignment in space wasn't what he planned to do but the hero of the Federation –who also happened to be his girlfriend- asked him to join her crew, he couldn't say no. There was a part of him that almost did but his daughter talked him out of it.

"Just remember, I love you more then I hate space. It's the only reason I agreed to this."

Jim smiled, "I know, I love you too. You know, you could've taken Uncle Phil's offer."

He shook his head, "I'm good as long as you don't get yourself killed on me." She chuckled but didn't say anything as they arrived at their destination.

"Captain on the bridge," Chekov informed the working officers.

Jim took a breath, "Alright people, how we doing?"

"Firing thrusters and impulse engines at your command, ma'am," Sulu informed her.

Chekov turned in his chair, "Weapon systems and shields on standby."

Uhura looked at her, "Dock control reports ready, Captain."

Jim smiled and hit the comm for Engineering, "Scotty, how we doin'?"

Leonard could hear the smile in the chief engineer's voice, "Dilithium chambers at maximum, Captain. Get down!"

Jim laughed as she hit the command to close the connection, "Keenser must be on something." Leonard took a breath and nodded. "Bones… " He looked at her. "It'll be okay. I promise. If you want to stay, you got a few minutes."

He shook his head, "No, I'm good, Captain."

Jim cringed, "Since you're my CMO and the only person who can order me to do… anything, you have my permission not to call me that unless there are higher ranking people around. It's just weird." Everyone but Spock chuckled.

Leonard nodded, "Fine by me, Jim." Leonard thought it was a little weird when he said it. Yes, she's the captain but to him, she's just Jim, the crazy, beautiful, brilliant, adventurous women he loved more than life itself.

She smiled, "Maneuvering thrusters Mr. Sulu."

The helmsman hit a command on his console, "Thrusters on standby."

Jim took a deep breath, "Take us out."

Sulu nodded, "Aye aye, captain."

* * *

Their first month on the ship was full of easy gigs and calm patrols. Leonard could tell that Jim was itching for some action but right now, another transport. "We're picking up a passenger from the cargo ship USS Woden and taking him to colony Alpha Five. A kid who's the lone survivor of a transport ship crash fourteen years ago when he was three. He's been alone a long time," Jim informed Leonard as they walked together to the transporter room.

Lieutenant Kyle was at his post, "They're ready, Captain."

She nodded, "Beam 'em over."

The officer nodded, entered the commands into his station and a few seconds later three men appeared on the pad. The first two were obviously officers and the third was a teenager who looked like he could be Jim or Chekov's brother. He had blonde hair that was a shade between theirs and bright eyes that were close in color to Jim's otherworldly cerulean blues.

"Captain Kirk," the man with captain's bars stepped off the pad and shook her hand.

"Captain Ramart, it's nice to meet you in person," Jim said to the man.

He nodded, "Likewise. This is my navigator, Lieutenant Tom Nellis and this young man is Charlie Evans."

Jim smiled at the boy, "Hi, Charlie, I'm Captain Kirk and this is Doctor McCoy, welcome to the Enterprise."

"Are you… you're a girl?" Charlie looked at her with wide eyes.

Jim smiled, "Yes, I am. I guess you've never seen a girl since the eighteen people on the Woden are all men."

There were still some ships where that happened, it was rare, it wasn't on purpose and it was usually the small ships where the CO just put the best crew together and sometimes there weren't any women or men or aliens or whatever on the ship.

"Will I like it here?" Charlie asked them.

Ramart smiled, "This ship is like a small city with hundreds of people on it."

Jim nodded, "Four hundred and fifty-eight to be exact." Charlie smiled as Jim looked at him. "Hey, Bones, why don't you take Mister Evans here to medical, check him out then get him settled?"

The doctor nodded, "Can do. Come on, kid." Leonard and Charlie left Jim to talk with the officers from the other ship as they walked out of the room.

"Why did she call me 'Mister Evans' and you 'Bones'?"

Leonard chuckled, "Well, she called you 'Mister Evans' because it's your name. She calls me 'Bones' because it's her nickname for me. It's a really long story but she's the only one who can get away with it."

"She's not like Ramart?"

Leo smiled, "No. Jim is not like anybody. She's one of a kind."

Charlie nodded, "She's really pretty. I saw images of women but she's prettier than them."

Leo couldn't help but smile, "Jim is beautiful, exceptionally so. As pretty as she is, she's so smart and such a good person that it shines through, makes her stand out." The kid nodded at him as he took the ship in. They walked into medical and Leonard took Charlie to a private room to do his exam. "You're in perfect health," Leonard was actually surprised that this kid who had lived almost all his life alone on a deserted planet was in such good condition. He'll bring it up with Jim later but it seemed odd.

* * *

Okay, odd was putting it mildly. Charlie started making people and things disappear, when they didn't agree with what he wanted. It started with Uhura's voice in the rec room to get Jim's attention. Then the Woden tried to contact them. All they heard was Ramart say, " _I've got to warn..._ ", then his ship was destroyed. Charlie told everyone on the bridge that, " _It wasn't very well constructed_." It was odd because Spock hadn't actually confirmed it was destroyed until a moment later.

His growing obsession with Jim only added to the problem. " _You gotta talk to him, Bones. He respects you. He's been through a lot and I don't want to hurt him unless I have to._ " He could understand where Jim was coming from so he tried. Charlie talked about caring for Jim and what he should do when Leonard told him that of all the women in the universe, Jim was the one he couldn't have. He then tried to focus him somewhere else by taking him to the gym for some light sparring. At first, the kid refused but he eventually joined in. After an awkward fall that made one of Leonard's medics, Fuller, laugh, Charlie made him disappear. When he called for security, Charlie made them both fall to the ground before making their phasers, and all the phasers on the ship, disappear too.

Jim thought that Charlie might be a Thasian, a native of the planet he was on, but Leo disagreed based on his medical test results. Charlie entered the room and admitted that he destroyed the Woden because they weren't nice to him. After which, he took over the Enterprise.

"He'll destroy that colony, Bones," Jim knew that if Charlie got out in the open, it wouldn't be good. She ordered Chekov and Sulu on a different heading and Uhura to contact the colony.

"Keptin, zhe course changes I made are not holding," Chekov informed her.

Sulu was having the same issue, "Helm is not responding to my commands, Captain." Jim nodded Uhura hit some commands and her console exploded.

"There is no way…" The look on Jim's face was murderous, "Is she gonna be okay, Bones?"

He nodded, "It's a burn on the hand and a bump on the head, I can patch her up." Jim looked at Spock, whatever she was about to ask him was cut off by him reciting something.

"Tiger, tiger, burning bright in the forest of the night." They all looked at each other.

Leo sighed, "Okay, that's just creepy."

Spock attempted to say something else but didn't get past the first few words, "I'm trying to –Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary." Jim looked over at Charlie.

The kid smirked, "Very nice, Mister Ears."

"Charlie, stop," Jim told the boy.

He smiled, "Why, he's funny? At least, I think he's funny."

Jim glared at him, "Leave my friend alone. Now." He huffed and Spock stopped.

"Growing up isn't so much. I'm not a man, and I can do anything! You can't." Charlie left the bridge and Leonard looked at Jim.

"Got an idea on how to deal with the God-like child?"

Jim smiled, "I have two. Idea one; I talk him down. He likes me so it might work. Idea two; we overload him. Whatever he's doing to the ship, it's using his brain power so we turn everything on."

Spock looked at her, "That is risky, Captain." 

She nodded, "Yea, but if he gets to Alpha Five, think of what he could do."

* * *

This was crazy, even by Jim's standards. Talking didn't work so she ordered them to activate more and more of the ship's systems while going back and forth with Charlie. In the midst of this whole thing, a ship from Thasus showed up and restored everything back to normal.

"I want to stay here," Charlie told them but Jim shook her head.

"It'll be safer if you go with them, Charlie. We don't want to harm you but to protect people, we would've had to. They gave you this power so that you could live but you don't have control over it, you might one day but that's not today." The Thasians removed him to their ship a moment later and departed.

Leonard looked at Jim, "You alright?"

Jim shook her head, "Not even a little bit. Spock you have the con."

Leonard followed her into the turbolift, "It's not your fault."

She nodded, "Still sucks, Bones."

He told the computer to halt the lift and pulled her into a hug, "I know, darlin'. You did everything you could've done, short of kill him. And I know that's something you really didn't want to do."

She nodded, "I need a drink."

Leo chuckled, "Well, I just happen to have a decent stash in sickbay. Come on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My own spin on Charlie X. Charlie actually goes after Rand in the episode.


	21. Chapter 21

"I don't like being pinned down, Bones."

Leonard smirked, "I don't think this qualifies and you're curious so you aren't gonna move." Jim was lying in bed with her hands tangled in the shirt she wore to sleep in and nothing else. Leonard skimmed his hand up her thigh and watched her squirm. "You don't like not being in control. You want to touch me but you can't and it's driving you crazy. All you gotta do is ask." She took a couple deep breaths as he glided his hand across her stomach, her body quivering under his touch. "Your pulse is going at warp speed, Jim."

She looked at him, "Bones."

He smirked, "Yes, darlin'?" Jim closed her eyes and sucked in a breath as he ran his hands over her skin. It took every ounce of control he had not to devour her. Leo kissed, licked and nipped her skin, Jim whimpered.

"All you gotta do is say the words, Jim." She took a breath but refused to say anything. Leonard smiled as she pressed her lips together and looked at him. She was stubborn as hell and he loved her for it. Leonard upped the ante; he watched her face as he closed his mouth over one of her breasts. She shifted and he smirked. "Still not talkin', darlin'?" he asked before switching to her other breast. Jim was fighting a losing battle; they both knew it. He continued to kiss, caress and tease her body.

"Bones," she whispered.

He smirked, "You give?"

Jim closed her eyes, "Yes, I give. Please…" He moved up her body and pulled her into a kiss.

"Look at me, darlin'." Jim blinked her eyes open as he slid into her. There was nothing in the universe that compared to the feel of Jim wrapped around him.

"Bones…" the way she said it sent shivers down his spine. He reached up and tugged the shirt off her arms before he began to move. Jim closed her eyes.

"Open 'em, Jim. I wanna see you, darlin'." Her eyes locked with his and he was almost gone right there. He watched her as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

"Leonard," it came out as a sob as her whole body tightened around him. She fell apart in his arms, whispering his name over and over again.

"I got ya, darlin'," he continued to move and he pushed Jim from one orgasm and into the next, this time he followed her.

For a minute, they just lay there, not moving, "You okay, darlin'?" She nodded but he could see the tears in her eyes, "Jim?" He shifted so that he wasn't on top of her, "Talk to me."

She took a breath, "I'm okay… I just… I never give anyone that much control over me…"

He smiled, "I know. I can't even put into words what it means that you trust me enough to let me be in charge for a while. But don't think I missed the panic in your voice."

She chuckled, "I knew I could get my arms free and I knew you wouldn't hurt me… it's just that… People have always wanted something from me, so I always had to be in control so that no one took advantage."

Leonard nodded, "You know I would never do that."

She kissed his jaw, "Which is why I let you call the shots… this time." H

e laughed and pulled her against his chest, "This time, huh? We'll see about that, darlin'."

* * *

"What's bothering you?" he asked as he stepped on the bridge.

She looked up at him, "I just got a comm to head to Planet Q. There's word of a new synthetic food which promises to ease chronic shortages on Cygnia Minor."

Leonard knew where her head went and looked at her, "Jim?"

She took a breath, "The doctor in charge of the program is a guy named Thomas Leighton. I knew him… when I was a teenager." The way she said it told Leonard what he needed to know, this was about Tarsus Four. Spock and the others didn't understand but neither of them filled the senior staff in.

* * *

He didn't like letting her go down to the colony alone but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He waited on the bridge with the rest of the senior staff. "Worried she might leave you for this Leighton guy?" Sulu joked.

Leonard couldn't help but chuckle, "Not even remotely. I'm just worried." He couldn't put his finger on it but something was off, he could feel it. Her face when she came back made all his worry seem valid and it broke his heart, "Jim, what's wrong?"

Everyone on the bridge looked at her, "Darwin, take the con. Someone have Ensign Riley come to my ready room. Senior staff, you're all with me." She walked through the door without waiting for any of them to follow. He knew it was bad when they all walked in to find her pacing, eyes unfocused. "He was there," was all she said.

Spock looked at her, "Doctor Leighton was who you went to see, Captain."

Leo knew that wasn't it, "She doesn't mean Leighton. She means Kodos."

You could hear a pin drop as Jim nodded and looked at him, "I saw him, Bones. Tommy thought he was seeing things, that's why he comm'ed me. I saw him… I can't… I can't breathe."

Jim doesn't have panic attacks but here she was, "Jim, focus on me, darlin'. Look at me. You're okay, you're on the Enterprise. He's not here, he can't hurt you, darlin'. He'd have to get through me first. Breathe, Jim." She took a couple deep breaths and Sulu handed him a glass of water. "Drink this."

The rest of the officers in the room looked at him and Uhura was the first to speck, "Kirk was on Tarsus Four?"

He nodded, "Pike had an assignment that Jim and George couldn't go on, they were staying with Commander Sato." He didn't have to explain any more than that, Hoshi Sato was Uhura's hero.

Spock looked at her as she sat the glass down and held her head in her hands, "If the Captain saw former Governor Kodos, it is safe to assume that she is a member of the group known as the Tarsus Nine."

"She's not a member, she's the leader," they all looked over to the door as Riley stepped in. "What happened?" Leonard brought the kid up to speed. "Kodos messed up Tommy's eyes but that _man_ is one person none of us would ever forget. If Tommy says it was him and Jim say it too, then it was him."

Hawkins, the officer manning Uhura's station comm'ed to tell them that Leighton was found killed on the surface. Jim looked up and what he saw in her eyes was something that he's never seen before, now he knew what Pike meant.

"No, Jim. You're not going back down there. I don't care what you say. Do not make me sedate you."

She glared at him and stood toe to toe with him, "Get out of my way, now." He didn't move and she took a breath, "Don't make me hurt you, Bones, _move_."

"I'd do it if I were you, doc," he heard Riley but he didn't look at him.

"What would you like me to tell Pike or George, that you waltzed off the ship when the man responsible for massacring half a colony is running around on the surface and the rest of us just let you? _Think_ , Jim. I know you want to kill him. It goes against every oath I've ever taken but _I_ want to kill him too. Running down there is playing into his hands. The Jim I know, my Jim, always has a plan, I may not understand it or like it but you always have one, so think before you go down there."

She stared at him for a minute before she nodded, "Have them beam Tommy's body up here, his only family is in Chicago, I owe it to him to get him home. I won't go down there until I a plan and I won't go alone. Spock, I'm compromised, you have the ship." She walked out of the room with Riley and they all looked at each other.

"You did the right thing, Doctor."

He looked at Spock, "No, I didn't, he murdered four thousand people, another six hundred starved to death, and there have been nine hundred and thirty three suicides among the Tarsus survivors in the last decade. He tortured her and one of her friends to find the children she hid with her brother. He won't last the week because if she doesn't kill him, I will."


	22. Chapter 22

Leonard was lost in thought. Could he actually kill Kodos like he told the others? Yes, he really could. Doctors are all about healing and doing no harm but killing Kodos would help a lot of people, starting with Jim. She had Uhura run some analysis on recordings of the man she and Leighton saw, versus the audio recordings of Kodos from 2246. Uhura confirmed that he was the same man, a fact that somehow made this whole thing worse. Jim didn't know what to do, she was lost like none of them have ever seen before. Leonard did something she could kill him for later, he comm'ed Pike.

"Is Jim okay?"

He chuckled at Pike's greeting, "Depends on how you define okay. She got a blast from the past today."

Pike nodded, "I know about Leighton wanting to see her."

Leonard shook his head, "He didn't tell you why?"

Pike looked at him, "No, what happened?"

Leo took a breath, "He's dead. Before he died, he saw someone that he thought was Kodos, Jim confirmed it was him and it spooked the shit outta her. I don't know why but that maniac is on Planet Q under the name of Anton Karidian. Riley is keeping Jim company right now but I had to threaten to sedate her to keep her on the ship." Pike was listening to him but he was also working on something.

"That leaves two survivors that can identify him. Jim and Kevin are the last two if Tommy's dead. The other members of T9 have all been killed over the last year, keep them on the ship. Have Spock coordinate with the authorities on Planet Q but don't let Jim go down there."

He nodded, "I'll do my best, sir, but you know Jim."

Pike smiled, "I do. Take care of our girl, Leo and keep me posted. Pike out."

Jim ran into his office and looked at him, "Bones, Kevin is gone. He's not on the ship. I think he went after Kodos."

Jim and Leonard ran to the transporter room, where Spock met them, grabbed phasers and beamed down to Riley's coordinates. He would've told Jim to stay but he knew better and so did Spock. They materialized in an office; Kevin was pinned against a wall with a phaser to his head.

"Let him go, Thaddeus," Jim was as calm as ever on the surface but Leonard could see the war raging through her.

"Ahh, James. I can't tell you how happy I was when I saw that you saved the world. I always knew you were exceptional. You have grown into a most beautiful woman," the man told her. Leonard cringed, that's just wrong on so many levels. "This one, I knew he wasn't special like you."

Jim looked at her friend, "I disagree. Kevin wouldn't be on my ship if he wasn't special."

Kodos looked at her, "I must finish my work, James."

"Is that why you killed the other seven who saw your face?" Leonard asked hoping to give Jim something to work with.

"A man of science, medical symbol on your uniform and you scream of authority. Your Chief Medical Officer, James? He is impressive. And a Vulcan, so rare they are these days." He was gonna need a shower after the looks Kodos gave him and Spock, no wonder Jim freaked out, this guy was creepy.

Jim smirked, "You killed the others. I'm not surprised, you always said you'd find us but you messed up this time. I won't let you kill Kevin and while my doctor is very good at his job, he has a particular disdain for you. Even if you could kill me, you wouldn't make it out of this room. Now, Let. Him. Go."

"You were always the one that worried me the most, such defiance, such devotion to your friends. To think of all we could've created, James. You are too big for Starfleet, they will waste your brilliance as their errand girl and rid themselves of you when you are no longer of use. Come with me and I will give you the universe."

Jim shook her head, "I never wanted the universe."

He shifted and Kevin made a move; everything that happened next was so fast. Without Kevin to worry about, Kodos made a move for Jim but she dodged and stabbed him in the neck with the knife she keeps in her boot. "I should've seen that coming. I have waited thirteen years for this day, James. The day you promised," his voice was rough and almost gone but they could hear him.

She looked at the man, "I always keep my promises, Thaddeus." Jim didn't say anything else as Kodos took his final breath. Leo wasn't helping him, he could but he wasn't and Spock seemed to share his feelings because he didn't move either.

Spock looked at Leonard, "Doctor, perhaps you should get the Captain and Ensign Riley back to the Enterprise. I will handle the authorities."

Leonard nodded, "Jim, Kevin, let's get you two back to the ship." They both went without a fight or a word, which scared the crap out of him. He called for a beam out and got them back to the ship. He asked Sulu to give him a hand since he was friends with both Riley and Jim. They got the pair into her quarters; Jim sat down on her couch, put her head in her bloody hands and cried. Riley wrapped his arms around her and cried too.

* * *

"How are they, Doctor?" Spock asked as Leonard let him into Jim's room.

"Cried themselves to sleep. Let me tell you, it's the scariest damn thing in the universe, seeing Jim cry. It's something I never want to see again. I'll be here if she needs to but…" he had to shake the thought away. "Anyway, how'd it go with the authorities?" Spock relayed that he mostly told the truth, the man attacked a crew member and their captain killed him to protect her officer.

"Vulcans do not lie, however, we do omit."

Leonard actually laughed, "Well, Pike is gonna what the whole story and not the crap we're gonna put in the logs."

"I'll tell him… and Sam." They both looked over at Jim, as she got up from her spot as Riley's pillow.

"Captain, if I may inquire, why were we not made aware that…?"

She smiled and cut Spock off, "That I was on Tarsus Four and spent two months in that hell? Technically, Bones is the only one who needed to know but the truth is that I have enough people judging me because of my family; I didn't want their pity on top of that. You can understand that part. I was terrified when I found out my brother told Bones because me and George did a lot of things to keep those kids alive. Nothing I would ever apologize for but nothing I would ever talk about either." She looked at her hands, "I should probably take a shower."

"Jim, are you…?" She smiled at Leo's question.

"I'm relieved. He's been haunting all of us. When Starfleet showed up, he just... slipped away. Dad and some of his friends searched for over a year. I made a promise to Hoshi and to my kids that I would end it. I finally got to keep that promise. He's dead… my family is safe. That's enough for me."

Leonard could tell there was more going on in her head, "Don't hold it in, Jim. When you're ready to talk, there are a bunch of people ready to listen."

She smiled, "I know."


	23. Chapter 23

"This isn't funny, Jim." She laughed so hard there were tears running down her face. On the one hand, Leo was happy to see her like this after the mess with Kodos but on the other hand, being married to Spock by some alien ceremony wasn't funny at all.

"It's hilarious, Bones. I'm sure you'll have adorable children."

Uhura burst into laughter, "Leonard's eyes and Spock's ears." Everyone on the away team giggled.

Jim took a breath, "I'm sorry, Bones. It's funny, you two are always bickering like an old married couple. You never stopped to think that someday it might bite you in the ass."

They were on the planet N'rala to assess the Ralas for entry into the Federation. Everything was fine until Leonard and Spock couldn't agree on something and started their bickering. The locals seemed to think that it was foreplay and the elders blessed the two officers in what they later learned was a wedding. Jim and Uhura were having a field day poking fun at them and he could tell that even Spock was irritated.

"Oh, I just had a thought, if you're married to Spock does that mean you're married to the other Spock too?" _And_ , Jim was back to laughing at them. He shook his head as she tossed an arm over his shoulders, "I'm kidding, Bones. You know, they aren't a Federation world yet so none of it is valid... unless you want me to sign off on it as you CO. It's funny… I mean of all the people you could be accidentally married to."

Spock gave her a look and she smiled at him, "I don't mean any offense, Spock, but you're not his type. Besides, I think you already have one human to worry about."

Uhura nodded at Jim's statement,"You gotta let us laugh about it. We _are_ your girlfriends… it's better than crying that the Ralas married you both off." There was another round of giggles before they were beamed back to the ship.

"Wait until I tell Sam and Donna," Jim said as she stepped off the pad.

He looked at her, "You wouldn't."

She shrugged, "Give me a reason not to."

He walked up to her and whispered against her ear, "I won't do that thing with my tongue."

She gave him a look, "Oh, Bonesy, now that's just mean." He shrugged and walked out of the transporter room.

His 'wedding' made him think about getting married again, just not to Spock. Jocelyn tore his heart out and stomped on it but that was before he met Jim. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he could see Jim, wedding band on her finger, hand over her stomach with their child growing inside. He could see her with Joanna and a baby that looked like him with her eyes. He could see her waking up with him and going to bed with him every night until they're old and gray. What would she say if he asked her?

"Asked who what?"

Leonard looked up from his desk at Chapel, "Nothing."

She smiled, "I heard about your 'wedding.' I'm not here to make fun of you or anything, I'm just checking on you, the Captain thinks you might be mad at her." Chapel was good at reading people, almost as good as Jim.

"I'm not mad at her, the opposite, actually. My 'wedding' just got me thinking about weddings and marriage… and Jim."

Chapel smiled, "I figured. Want some unsolicited advice?" He nodded and she continued, "You love her and she loves you so when you're ready to ask her, ask. I highly doubt she'll say no, that woman is nuts about you."

He looked at her, "How do you know that?"

Chapel chuckled, "I can see."

* * *

Love must be in the air because there was a real wedding happening on the ship. Two weapons officers, Lieutenant Angela Martine and Lieutenant Robert Tomlinson, were getting married and Jim was officiating. "This is so exciting, Bones."

He looked at her, "I never figured you to be giddy over a wedding, Jim."

She looked at him, "It's the first one… not counting yours last week." He rolled his eyes at the look on her face. They got off the turbolift and walked into the ship's chapel.

"This place is packed."

Jim nodded, "See, it's not just me."

Jim answered a quick comm from Spock before she went to the front of the room. Leonard stood by the door. The ceremony began with Scotty walking Lieutenant Martine down the short aisle. Jim smiled at the couple, "Since the days of the first vessels, all ship masters have had one happy privilege: that of uniting two people in the bonds of matrimony. So we are gathered here today before your shipmates to unite Angela and Robert in…"

"Alert, all decks, alert." Uhura's voice came up over the intercom system.

Jim hit the comm, "What's going on?"

Spock told her that they were getting a distress call from Outpost Four, they were under attack by an unknown vessel. She ordered the ship to Red Alert and everyone in the room scattered. Jim squeezed his arm as she ran past him and headed to the bridge. Leonard went to sickbay and prepped his team for whatever was about to come their way. They all stopped when Jim's voice came over the intercom.

"This is the Captain speaking. In the action we are about to take, we cannot risk any errors or mistakes from any member of this crew. Listen carefully."

There was a pause and then Spock, "Referring to the maps on your viewscreens, you will note that beyond our current position, is a line of Federation outposts. They were constructed by United Earth on asteroids to monitor the neutral zone established by a treaty with Romulus after the Earth/Romulus conflict from 2156 to 2160. Entry into the zone by either side is considered an act of war."

Spock stopped and Jim's voice returned, "I have very specific orders in this matter. There is no act that would be cause enough for us to enter the zone, we may defend ourselves but if it becomes necessary, those outposts and the Enterprise are considered expendable to avoid all out war. Kirk out."

This was the part of her job that she didn't share with him. The orders that she had to worry about on top of everything else she did. He knew it pained her to say what she just did but he also knew that if it was them for the Federation's safety, she'd sacrifice the ship.

"Battle stations, all hands to battle stations," Uhura alerted the crew and Leonard got ready for the shit to hit the fan.  A few minutes later, battle stations were cancelled but the security alert was still active. A little while later, he got a comm from the bridge to head to Jim's ready room. He told Chapel that she was in charge and left sickbay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist tossing Bones and Spock together... for a little while, anyway. And a bit of Balance of Terror from TOS.


	24. Chapter 24

"This is the shielding from Outpost Four; it's made out of rhodium, the hardest substance known to our science. The lab theorizes that the vessel used an enveloping energy plasma forcing an implosion similar to the weapons used by the Narada," Spock told the officers in the ready room. It wasn't crazy to think that the Romulans found some way to get their hands on those weapons in the twenty-five years that nobody saw the Narada, hell, Starfleet used sensor readings from the Kelvin to do the same thing.

"Thoughts gentlemen?" Jim asked the room. Aside from Spock, Leonard and Jim, also in the room were Sulu, Scotty and Stiles, Uhura had the con. Stiles was covering for a very sick Chekov. It was funny that they had a cure for almost everything but the common cold.

Spock pulled Leonard out of his thoughts, "Obviously, their weapons are more advanced than ours and they have the ability to cloak themselves." Wait a second, they went straight into a strategy meeting without looking at any other options.

"You're talking tactics. Do you realize what we're talking about here? Millions and millions of lives hanging on what this ship does next," Leonard told the room.

Spock looked at him, "Or what we fail to do, doctor." Leonard rolled his eyes and decided not to respond to that.

Jim took a breath, "So the big question is if we engage, is there a reasonable possibility of us winning?"

Scotty nodded, "No question. They're only running on impulse power."

"Which means we can outrun them," Jim added.

Stiles looked at her, "To be used in chasing them or retreating… ma'am?" This guy just didn't get it, don't question Jim. She'll always do what's best for the crew even if it gets her in trouble.

"Go ahead and speak your mind, Stiles," Jim told him.

"We have to attack immediately," Stiles said to her.

She looked at him, "Tell me why." Leonard knew that tone from sitting in on one of her philosophy classes, she knew why but she needed to know if he understood why they needed to attack as opposed to his personal reasons.

Stiles looked at her, "They're still on our side of the neutral zone. There would be no doubt that they broke the treaty."

Sulu jumped in, "Attacking without a visible target. How the hell would we aim our weapons?"

"We use our sensors, it's not the most accurate but if we blanket them…" Stiles started.

Sulu cut him off, "And hope for a lucky shot before they zero in on us and fire that crazy weapon?"

Stiles glared at him, "If we don't, they'll go back and report that we saw them and ran."

Sulu glared back, "Better than them reporting back that they destroyed us."

Stiles looked at Jim, "Captain, these are Romulans, we both know that if we run from them it'll guarantee a war. Hell, Nero went on a rampage for no reason and while the politicians are trying to figure it out, we're the ones out here."

"I agree with Stiles, Captain," Spock shocked the hell outta Leo.

Jim looked at her first officer, "Fight now to stop a bigger fight later?"

Leonard couldn't believe they were actually considering this, "Now wait a damn minute, you can't be serious. Fight based on a centuries old war and a psycho that you killed already. Can we live with ourselves if we start a galactic war?" Jim looked at him and hit the comm to the bridge.

"Uhura, status?" she asked.

"Course is unchanged, Captain. There is a comet dead ahead, they seem to be heading towards it." Jim thanked her and cut to connection.

"What's with the smile, Jim?"Leo asked.

She looked at him, "That's Icarus-Four. It's ionized mass and frozen vapor particles. Pretty standard stuff but when an object passes through it, even invisible objects…"

Leo caught on the where she was going, "Become visible."

She nodded, "Exactly, Bones."

Scotty smirked, "It's perfect." Jim took a breath and looked around the room before hitting the comm to broadcast to the ship.

"All hands, battle stations. I repeat; all hands go to battle stations." She looked at the officers in the room, "Go ahead, guys." They all got up and left the room, everyone but Leonard. "Here's hoping we don't need your expertise, Bones."

He nodded, "I won't hold my breath. Are you sure about this, Jim? It's a big gamble."

She smiled at him, "Big gambles are kinda my thing, Bones. It's the best option out of a bunch of bad options. I gotta believe that we'll be okay." She gave him a quick kiss, "Battle stations, Lieutenant Commander McCoy."

He chuckled at her use of his rank, "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Leonard was on the bridge giving Jim an update –and silently checking on her- when Uhura notified them that they were a minute away from the neutral zone. "Are we gonna violate the treaty, Jim?"

Spock answered before Jim could, "They did, Doctor."

Leo looked at Jim, "And once inside, they could claim that it was us. A setup. They want war and all we gotta do is give 'em a reason."

Spock stood next to Jim, "We are still on our side, Captain."

Jim looked between the two men and smiled, "Lover's quarrel? You guys can use my ready room if you need a minute." He would've grumbled at her but the humor shining in her eyes stopped him, so he just glared. "They're still on our side, so let's get 'em while they are without crossing into the neutral zone. Hit it, Sulu."

"Aye, Captain," Sulu punched some commands into his console.

Jim looked at Stiles, "Ready weapons and standby."

The navigator took a breath, "At this distance?" Jim was getting tired of this guy, Leonard could tell.

"We know their weakness, Mister Stiles. That weapon uses all their energy; they gotta uncloak to use it," Jim said to the navigator. So that's what that hit was about earlier.

Stiles nodded, "Yes, but a phaser hit at this distance would be a stroke of luck."

Jim chuckled, "Want me to do it? You don't have to like it, Stiles but those are my orders. I'm well aware of what phaser fire can and can't do at this distance, if you don't think you can do it, I will. Wouldn't be the first time."

Stiles took a breath and tapped something into the console, "Weapons ready, ma'am."

Jim smirked, "Thank you Mister Stiles."

Leonard looked at Jim, "I'm gonna get back to sickbay." Jim nodded and turned her attention to the task at hand.

* * *

Nine hours and forty minutes of running silent was weird. Leo didn't know what was going on, just that they were playing dead and apparently so was the other ship. "Hey, Bones." Jim was laying on her bed with her arm over her face.

He shook his head, "How do you always know it's me?" She didn't move, just smiled.

"I always know when you're nearby, just a feeling."

Leo smiled as he walked towards her, "I'll remember that." Jim moved her arm and looked at him.

"You know, I wish I was on a boat in the middle of an ocean somewhere, just rocking with the waves... no responsibilities. I almost wish you said no when I asked you to join the crew… would've given me a reason to walk away from commanding this ship. I look around the bridge and they're all just waiting for me to make the next move… but I'm not perfect… what if I'm wrong, Bones?" It was a lot for her to admit.

"Jim…"

"I don't expect an answer to that, Bones," she said as she stood up.

Leonard blocked her path, "I have one, though. Something I believe with all my heart. In this galaxy, there is a mathematical probability of three million earth-like planets... and in all the universe, three million _million_ galaxies like this one. And in all of that, and maybe more, only one of each of us. I know the other realities are out there but they aren't us. I'm not the same as the other me and you aren't the same as the other Jim. You aren't perfect, darlin' and you don't pretend to be, you're just you. The girl who saved a bunch of kids on Tarsus Four, the woman who stopped Nero from destroying Earth, who has movie nights with her big brother and teaches my daughter languages over vid-comm. You know what you're doin'. I know I grumble about all the crazy stuff you do but there is no one in the universe I trust more than you. I didn't agree to be on the Enterprise because it's a good post, and it is, I agreed to be on this ship because you're her captain. I have faith in you, Jim, even when you don't."

"Bones, I… I didn't know you felt that way," she said with tears in her eyes. He nodded, "Yea… well, I do. Don't tell anybody that I'm a softy."

Jim chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Leonard's waist, "I promise. I might tell your husband though."

He laughed, "I'm never gonna live that down. I doubt he'll be surprised, Spock already thinks I'm overly emotional. You wanna know what I was thinking about earlier?" Jim nodded so Leonard continued, "Getting married again." He watched as different emotions crossed Jim's face.

"Really... I… wow."

He chuckled, "Not today, Jim. One day?"

She kissed him, "One day, Leonard."

He looked at her and smiled, "You do realize that you just agreed to marry me?"

"Did I? I don't remember being asked that question," Jim smiled at him.

He took a breath, "James, will you marry me, darlin'?"

* * *

Jim had been back on the bridge for twenty minutes when the lights came back on.

"Maybe it's over." As soon as Chapel said the words, the ship went into evasive maneuvers and started firing.

"Nope, in direct combat."

She looked at him, "How do you know that?"

Leonard smirked, "Jim. First time I served with her she told me to pay attention to how the ship moved in different situations. I've had a bit of practice since then. I'm not as good as Jim, she can tell how fast we're going just by touching a bulkhead."

* * *

"They blew themselves up?"

Jim nodded, "Yep. Apparently, it's the Romulan way, death before capture. How's sickbay?"

He looked around, "22 injured, no dead."

She nodded, "Is that Martine and Tomlinson?"

Leo nodded, "Yea, he'll be off duty for the next few days but he'll be alright." Jim smiled before going over to talk to the couple. After a few minutes, she called him and Chapel over.

"So, it's still their wedding day for the next hour and while he is confined to a bed, they still want to get married today. Will you be the witnesses?" Jim asked.

"Fine by me," Leonard said to Jim, Chapel agreed.

Jim smiled and looked at the couple, "Alright, I'm gonna keep it simple. Angela, repeat after me, 'Robert, I take you to be my lawfully wedded husband Before these witnesses, I take you, with all your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I choose you as the person with whom I will share my life, I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live.'" Martine repeated the phrase then Jim looked at Tomlinson, "Robert, your turn."

The officer nodded, "I got it memorized, ma'am. Angela, I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife. Before these witnesses, I take you, with all your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I choose you as the person with whom I will share my life and I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live."

Jim smiled, "By the power granted to me by Starfleet as the commanding officer of this vessel, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your husband." Everyone in sickbay clapped as Martine leaned over and kissed Tomlinson. Jim smiled, "I'll wait until doc clears him before I give you guys shore leave." They both smiled and thanked her; she even got a hug from Martine.

Leonard followed Jim into the turbolift, "So... you gonna tell the crew about...?"

She shook her head, "Not yet, I'd like to keep my fiancé to myself for a while."


	25. Chapter 25

"All this way… it took a year to get here and they all died." Jim looked over the settlement on Omicron Ceti 3.

The Enterprise was sent there to scan the site of a colony was established and catalog its destruction under the bombardment of deadly berthold rays, which were discovered after the colonists left Earth. Jim, Leonard, Spock, Sulu, Chekov and Kelowitz beamed to the surface to do their scans.

"We're hardly dead. Welcome, I'm Elias Sandoval." The leader of the colony was standing in front of them.

Jim introduced herself and the team, "Forgive me, Mister Sandoval, it's just that we were under the impression that everyone died."

Sandoval nodded, "Our communications went down right after we arrived and we didn't have anyone who could fix it. It's good you're here, Captain. I'd like to show you and your men around." Sandoval walked over to say something to his men.

"Jim, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that he's alive," Leo whispered.

Spock stood on her other side, "They should not be, Captain. This planet is being bombarded by berthold rays. At this rate, we will be safe for a week, however…"

"They should be dead after three years of exposure, not thriving," Jim said.

Sulu looked at Leonard, "Is it possible that they aren't alive?"

Leo looked at Jim, "You touched him."

She nodded, "Warm flesh, beating pulse, he's as alive as you and me."

Sulu raised an eyebrow, "So how are they surviving the rays?"

Jim took a breath, "That is the question. Let's find the answer."

* * *

Sandoval showed them around the colony and told them about how uncomplicated their lives are. Limited technology, no vehicles and very few mechanical things in the whole place. To Leonard, it seemed almost normal, his family owned land in Georgia and growing up they had to work on it. He also introduced them to people, including Leila Kalomi, a botanist that met Spock on Earth six years ago. _"Was that a vibe?" Leonard nodded at Jim's whispered question, "Yea, darlin'. I'm not telling Uhura." She shook her head, "Me neither, she's scarier than me."_ Apparently, Spock has a thing for human women.

Jim and the others went looking around while Leonard stayed in the main house and started to do medical examinations. He was just finishing one when Jim walked into the room, "Well?"

He looked at her, "I've examined nine so far, all of them in perfect health. Like textbook perfect, Jim. Every reading was excellent, heart, lungs, reflexes, coordination, vision… everything. I might need a new job." She was about to say something when her communicator beeped.

"Kirk here," she said into the device.

"Spock here, Captain. There seems to be an absence of life on this planet save the colonists and various flora."

Jim took a breath, "That's the report I got from Sulu. Any explanation?"

Spock told her that there wasn't, "I will continue my examinations."

Jim agreed, "Okay, keep me posted, Kirk out." No animals was peculiar and he said as much to Jim. She agreed since the expedition brought animals for breeding and food.

"Jim, I'd like a look at the medical records for the colonists."

She smiled, "Well I guess it's good I know you so well because I figured you might." She handed him the PADD she was holding; the medical records were on it.

"Captain, there you are. You haven't seen our fields and crops. I'd like to show you and the good doctor what we've accomplished here." Sandoval came into the room, Jim put on a professional smile and nodded.

"Sounds good to me but I think that Doctor McCoy has some work to do." God bless her, she was trying to help him out and he'd be an idiot for not taking that out.

"I have to finish my examinations. However, if I fine everyone else's health as good as yours, I'll be done in no time." Jim and Sandoval left the room and Leonard pulled up the information that Jim gave him.

* * *

"It's like everything shown in their records is gone. They all had vaccinations before they left, plus stuff like scar tissue, evidence of childbirth and surgeries… all gone."

Jim looked at him, "Tricorder not working right?"

Leonard shook his head, "I thought that too so I tried it on myself. It accurately showed evidence of my two broken ribs in high school and my tonsillectomy from when I was a kid. Sandoval had an appendectomy on record but he has a healthy appendix where one was removed."

Jim took a breath, "This is getting weirder and weirder. Chekov found that they are only growing enough crops to sustain themselves and not much more."

Leonard thought about it for a second, "Something is going on here, Jim."

She nodded, "Yea, I'm gonna comm HQ and tell 'em what's going on." Jim grabbed her communicator and comm'ed Uhura. After a few minutes of going back and forth, HQ decided that they needed to remove the colonists from the planet. Jim and Leo went to notify Sandoval only for him to say no. The pair looked at each other, "It's not my call, sir. I have my orders," Jim let him know.

Sandoval looked at her, "Captain, it's unnecessary; we're in no danger here."

Leonard couldn't believe this guy, "We've explained the berthold rays to you and their effect."

"Doctor, how can I explain it to you? Make you understand? Your own instruments have shown that we're all in perfect health. We've had no deaths here."

Jim looked at him, "Except all the animals?"

Sandoval shrugged, "We're vegetarians."

Jim was not amused, "That doesn't answer my question. Why did all the animals die?"

Sandoval looked at her, "Captain, you stress the unimportant. We will not leave. I understand that you're trying to do your job but…"

Jim cut him off, "My orders are to remove you from this planet, I can do that with or without your help."

Sandoval stood his ground, "So be it." He left them standing there.

"He's more stubborn than you, Jim."

She nodded, "Doesn't change my orders."

They went outside to let the others know what was going on. "Where are Spock and Checkov?" Leonard looked around, they were missing a Russian whiz kid and their resident Vulcan.

"I haven't heard from them since our last check in," Sulu told her. She comm'ed Spock but didn't get an answer, when he finally responded, it didn't sound like him at all. Jim ordered Leonard to start prepping the colony for evacuation while she went looking for Spock with Sulu and Kelowitz. Leo comm'ed Chekov and the teenager responded that he was nearby.

"What are you doing with those plants, kid?" They were pretty, similar to orchids.

"Zhey are wery interesting, Doctor." Chekov turned the plant towards him and it sent spores flying.

"What the…?" A sense of calm rushed over him, and then nothing.

* * *

Leonard felt… off. He doesn't know what happened or how he ended up here. He was in the CMO's quarters. He never really saw them as his because he spends most of his off duty time in Jim's room. How did he end up here? He remembered being on planet and something about a flower but that was it. "Computer, locate Captain Kirk."

"Captain Kirk is on the bridge." Leonard left the room and made his way to the bridge. The ship was eerily quiet. The bridge was empty, save Jim who was sitting at Sulu's station. She was wearing his Ole Miss t-shirt and a pair of leggings.

"Is that the uniform of the day?"

She shrugged, "It's Comfy. I never realized how big this place was until I was the only one on it. Let me tell you, it's exhausting. I've been operating the whole ship by myself. You don't remember what happened, do you?"

"Nope," he answered.

Jim turned and looked at him, "The plants released spores that gave off a sense of peace and euphoria as well as the healing property. Everybody got affected, everybody but me. You all tried to stay down there."

The way she said it was so detached, "Jim?"

She looked at him, "I figured out how to fix it and beamed everyone back. I put everyone in their quarters since sickbay can't hold us all. Your scans are good, at least as far as I can tell." Something was going on but she wasn't telling him.

"Jim, talk to me. What's wrong?"

"You were right in front of me but you weren't you. I was so scared… I almost lost you. I almost lost all of you." He thought about it for a moment, how he would feel in her shoes? Everyone was there but gone and she had to fix it by herself while keeping them all safe.

"Jim, I'm…"

She cut him off, "Don't say it. It wasn't your fault, just part of our job."

He nodded, "How'd you fix it?"

She smiled, "I figured out a cure and a way to get it to all of you." She looked beat.

"When is everyone gonna wake up?"

She shrugged just as Spock walked onto the bridge, "Captain, I… What happened?" She smiled and explained it to him too.


	26. Chapter 26

Risa is… Risa. He doesn't know why HQ let the Enterprise take their leave here, it was a good place for them to get into trouble. Then again, anywhere Jim goes is a good place to get into trouble. "Are you gonna spend the next three days with that glare on your face?" Jim asked. He looked up as she, Sulu and Riley walked into the transporter room.

"Depends… are you gonna do something stupid?"

She smiled, "Does it look like I'm dressed to do something stupid?" She was wearing a pale yellow sundress and a pair of tan wedges, her long hair was down in loose curls.

"You look great, darlin'. You always do but you still didn't answer my question."

She stood next to him on the transporter pad, "No, I don't plan to do anything stupid, sweetheart. I plan to do something… but you are far from stupid." Sulu and Riley groaned as she winked at him.

"I set myself up for that one."It wasn't even a question.

Jim nodded, "Yep."

* * *

"Wanna do something crazy with me, Bonesy?" He knew it was coming.

"Jim…"

She smiled, "You might like it."

She was up to something and he knew it, "Okay, I'll bite. What do you have in mind, darlin'?"

Jim squeezed the hand she was holding, "Wanna get married while we're here?"

That was not what he was expecting at all, there was plenty to do on Risa, he was expecting her to suggest something like rock climbing, hell, they were staying at the resort in Suraya Bay. He didn't know how but the villas were built right into the cliffs. When he told her his thoughts about that, Jim laughed.

"I climbed Galartha the last time I was here. It was cool, the cliff changes pitch and handholds at you go up, I'll go again if you wanna try it. I'm being serious, Bones. Do you wanna get married before the whole Federation finds out we're engaged." That hurt.

"You don't want anyone to know? I should've figured that out when you refused to tell the crew." She wanted to hide it, to hide him.

"That's not fair, Bones. Think about it from my side."

"Your side? You agreed to marry me but only if we kept it to ourselves, Jim."

She nodded, "Yea, but…"

He cut her off, "But what? Tell me what I'm missing."

Jim looked at him and shook her head, "You honestly don't know? Bones, I'm the Kelvin Baby. I was raised by _The_ Christopher Pike. I saved Earth. I'm gonna tell you what will happen when everyone finds out that I'm engaged. It'll turn into a circus. People will want to know every detail about everything. When, where, who's invited. My family and yours will be followed and questioned about it all the time. People will post up outside Jo's school just to take holos of Jim Kirk's future step-daughter. My whole life has been a feeding frenzy, everybody thinks that because of how George died they have some right to know every fucking detail. I didn't care that much because most of the crap they talked about didn't matter or wasn't true. Do I wanna keep you to myself? Hell yes. Are you the only one? No. I don't talk about my relationships with my dad or my brother… I keep the things I love most close to the vest. You, of all people, should know that." She handed him the code for their room and left him standing there.

"Shit."

"She'll forgive you." Leonard turned to find himself face to face with Riley.

"Heard that, kid?"

Riley smiled, "Most of it. She loves you too much to stay pissed but I gotta ask; what the hell are you thinking? She wants to marry you and you start a fight. I've never seen her look at someone the way she looks at you and I've known Jim since I was six." They both started walking.

"She caught me off guard. I mean, I asked during that Neutral Zone thing but we both were thinking one day, not six weeks later."

Riley took a breath, "She's right; you should know better. Our occupation aside, Jim is the girl who jumps between innocent people and danger, just like both of her dads. You gotta understand that everybody watches what she does, that's why they hid her involvement on Tarsus. Everyone wants a piece of her. She used to think that she wasn't gonna live long enough to get married and that if she did, she'd have to wonder if the person was marrying her or marrying George Kirk's daughter. She's not ashamed to be with you, she wouldn't have said yes to your proposal if she was. You didn't know about me until I was on the ship, do you know why?"

Leonard shook his head, "No."

Riley smiled, "Because she loves me and the best way to keep me safe..."

Leo took a breath, "Was to keep you a secret. I'm such an idiot."

"You said it. She's not hiding you because she doesn't want anyone to know, she's hiding you because once everyone knows, she can't protect you as well as she does now. The press is only part of the problem, Jim and Pike have enemies. All it would take was for someone to go after you or your daughter… it would break her. You're her weakness… and weakness is something that Jim Kirk doesn't show."

Now he felt like a bigger idiot. He hadn't thought about any of that and he should've. Riley took a breath, "I'd tell to you look for her but you've never been here before and she has. My advice is to go to your room; she'll show up, eventually."

Leonard looked at the younger officer, "Thanks, Riley."

The kid smiled at him, "No need to thank me, I love Jim too, she's practically my sister. As soon as you find her, get on your hands and knees and beg her to marry you. If you need a witness, I'm game." Riley began to walk away but he stopped, "Oh and doc… friends and family call me Kev." Leonard smiled; looks like he made a new friend.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Jim. I opened my mouth without thinking." She looked at him as she stepped into the room.

"It's okay. I wasn't thinking about it from your side. If you want to tell everyone, go for it… that is if you still want to marry me."

He smiled, "Of course I do, that's never gonna change. I just needed to be reminded that the rest of the universe doesn't see you like I do. I see Jim while most people see George Kirk or Christopher Pike's daughter and the Federation hero." She raised an eyebrow and he smiled, "Kev."

Jim chuckled, "My little brother from another mother. Actually, I used to wish she was my mother. Joan Riley was the sweetest woman I ever met and she made the best damn chocolate chip cookies." She seemed to get lost in the memory for a second.

Leo just watched her and smiled, "Marry me. Right here, right now."

She looked at him, "Are you sure? I mean, you didn't seem to like the idea a little while ago."

He stepped closer to her and forced Jim to look at him, "I love you, Jim. I always will. I don't care if we get married today or next month or thirty years from now… I just want you. If you want to get married today, then let's do it."


	27. Chapter 27

"What are you doing, Misses McCoy?"

Jim chuckled as she planted soft kisses along his back and neck, "Kissing my very sexy and very naked husband." Luckily, Risa rivaled Las Vegas when it comes to getting married so it wasn't that hard to pull off a wedding under the radar. The only people there were Jim, Leo and the Risian man who officiated; she comm'ed Kevin to tell him but they would wait a little while to tell anyone else.

Leo laughed as he rolled over and pulled Jim into his arms, "You're incorrigible, darlin'."

Jim smiled, "Yes, but you love me and I love you."

He smiled as he flipped them both over so that he was on top of her, pinning her to the bed, "What am I gonna do with you?"

"I can think of a few things," Jim wrapped her legs around his waist. Leonard closed his eyes and took a deep breath as she reached up and touched his cheek, "Hi, Len."

Leo smiled, "Hey, darlin'."

Jim was his. It hit him like a ton of bricks that this smart, beautiful, sometimes crazy woman was his wife. He leaned down and brought his lips to hers. They clung to each other, kissing, sucking, nipping at each other. Leo chuckled as Jim wiggled, trying to bring them together but he wasn't letting her move.

"Bones…" He kissed her neck and smiled against her skin as he slid into her. "Ohhh." He drew back and thrust into her again, drawing an answering rhythm from her. They moved together like they were made for each other, part of him was convinced that they were. Jim moved with him, lifting her hips to meet him, "Don't stop, Len." He couldn't stop if he wanted to and he didn't want to. She had so much power over him, more than he realized until this moment.

"Open your eyes, Jim." She locked her eyes with his as she tightened around him. Leo kissed his wife as she fell apart in his arms; he followed her over the edge. Leonard buried his face in her neck, "Damn."

Jim chuckled, "Yea, no kidding." She tightened her hold on him.

"I'm not crushing you, am I, darlin'?" he asked her.

She shook her head, "Nope." Leonard laughed, shifted so that she was on top of him and pulled the covers over them both. They had been hold up in this room devouring each other for almost two days; they only had one left before they had to get back to work.

"You know, we're gonna have to tell Starfleet."

Jim nodded, "Dad and Archer will take care of it."

He hadn't thought about Pike, "Oh shit. He's gonna kill me. I mean, we got married and we didn't tell your dad."

She laughed against his chest, "His idea."

Leonard looked at Jim, "Wait… what?"

She smiled, "It was his idea for us to elope. His list of reasons is twice as long as mine. Your mom agreed with him." His mother knew about this?

Jim chuckled, "You didn't think I wouldn't tell the family. Granted, it was just an idea when I talked to dad but I asked what he thought. Aside from my worries about the media and my enemies, there are tons of people who would love to get their hands on my wedding. There is also the idea of the whole thing being turned into something else about George." That was something he could see, he's already seen it. Leonard remembers when she graduated from the academy, he didn't pay much attention to it then, but a lot of the discussion back then was centered on her father and on Pike.

"I should've thought of that, darlin'."

Jim chuckled, "If you apologize again, I might have to hurt you."

He raised an eyebrow, "Really? What would you do?"

Jim smirked as she kissed his neck, "I might have a few ideas, sweetheart." She pulled him into a long, passionate kiss; they were gonna be sore and worn out by the time leave ended but it was worth it.

* * *

"How'd I get roped into this?" Leonard asked Scotty.

The engineer chuckled, "No clue. I'm asking myself the same question."

They were on the shuttle Galileo to investigate Murasaki 312. Jim had explained it to him but beyond it being a type of star, he didn't get it. Astrophysics just wasn't his thing. It's been a month since Risa and aside from their families, they hadn't said anything about getting married. Uhura had figured it out but she didn't say anything, just gave them both hugs. Leonard was sure that Spock figured it out too but hadn't had the chance to talk with either of them about it. The Enterprise was en route to Makus III with medical supplies when they came across this star. Jim used her standing order to investigate anomalies as her way of diverting for a little while. Federation High Commissioner Ferris was on the ship to oversee the transfer of the medical supplies; Leo was almost happy to be off the ship just because of him, Ferris was an arrogant asshole who kept trying to tell Jim how to do her job.

Other than Scotty, this mission had Spock, Lieutenants Boma, Latimer, Gaetano, and Yeoman Rand. Everything was going fine until they hit some kind of distortion and they had to make an emergency landing. "Is everyone alright?" Spock asked as he walked from the cockpit to the rear of the shuttle.

Leonard rolled his eyes, "The chief medical officer would appreciate a potent hypo-spray if you got one handy."

Spock gave him a look but didn't respond to his sarcasm, "Yeoman Rand, are you alright?"

She nodded, "Yes sir. It's just a bump on the head, nothing serious." Scotty rattled off a bunch of engineering stuff that Leo only half understood as he took atmospheric readings.

"Well, the air is breathable, I call that a win," Leo told the other officers. Spock ordered Scotty to get to work on the shuttle and ordered them all out to give the Scot some space.

"Mister Latimer, Mister Gaetano, arm yourselves and scout the area. Keep in visual contact with the shuttle," Spock ordered the two men. They both nodded and went to follow the orders.

Leonard knew Jim, "The Enterprise will come for us, eventually." It wasn't a question, once she realized that the shuttle was in danger, Jim would walk through fire to find him and the rest of her crew.

Spock looked at him, "The ionization will no doubt have a negative effect on the ship's scanners, they will have to resort to a visual search."

The doctor caught on the what Spock was saying, "Meaning that unless Scotty gets us out of here, we aren't going anywhere for a while."

Spock nodded, "My thoughts exactly."

* * *

They'll be okay, Jim was coming for them, they just had to hold on until she got there. "AHHH! LATIMER!" Leonard looked in the direction of the scream, that was not good.

Spock grabbed some phasers and passed them out, "Mister Boma, Doctor McCoy, with me." The three of them ran to where Gaetano was kneeling over Latimer's body.

"What happened?" Leo asked.

Gaetano looked up at them, "We couldn't see it but we heard it… it sounded like an animal."

Leonard pulled the large spear from Latimer's cooling body, "Whatever it is, it's bigger than us."

Spock looked at the weapon, "A folsom point, fascinating."

Leo looked at him, "What?"

Spock took the weapon from his hands, "This blade is remarkably similar to that of a folsom point, characteristic of a stone age Earth culture located in the area formally known as North America. A crude design but efficient."

"Efficient? Is that all you have to say?" Gaetano had a point.  Leonard understood Spock to a point but many of the other crew members didn't.

Boma jumped in, "Our crewmate is dead and you're talking about archeology?"

"My concern for Latimer will not bring him back, Mister Boma,"Spock told the other officer. Leonard looked at the men. What would Jim do?

"Alright, let's just assess the situation. We aren't safe standing around out here. We're sitting ducks. Let's get Latimer's body back to the shuttle," Leo told the group. It sounded enough like his wife that he was gonna go with it. Spock agreed and Boma assisted Leonard in carrying the officer back to the shuttle.

When they got back, Leo was gonna kiss Jim and beg her to forgive every time he called her actions crazy. He was now starting to understand that her job required her to do a ton of different things all at once. She had to plan, to keep them all safe, come up with the best solution and to play referee, all while keeping the brass happy and completing the mission. He also understood why they didn't give Spock command of the ship, with the exception of a handful of people he didn't connect with the crew the way Jim does.

* * *

Scotty fixed the shuttle but there was a drawback, they were too heavy. They took off as the creatures on the planet began another attack but they couldn't break orbit. Spock offered to take Latimer's body and jump out of the shuttle.

"Spock, that's crazy," he told the Enterprise's first officer.

The Vulcan looked at him, "I am the ranking officer, it is my duty to get you to safety, even if that means I stay behind."

Leonard chuckled, "Sounds like something Jim would say."

Spock nodded, "I believe you are correct." Just as he prepared to jump out of the shuttle, something attached to them. Leonard looked out the door as the other shuttle attached itself to them and pulled.

"What do you think, Spock? Your girl or mine?"

Spock thought for a second, "Mine. There is no doubt that yours has her hands full with Ferris."


	28. Chapter 28

Leonard was surprised to find a message from Sulu after they got back to the ship. He had yet to see Jim but from the looks of the holo-vid that the chief helmsman sent him, she was busy.

 _From: LT Sulu, Hikaru, S. Helm, USS Enterprise NCC 1701_  
To: LTCMDR McCoy, Leonard, H. CMO, USS Enterprise NCC 1701  
Designation: Personal

 _Dude, you guys missed it so I thought that I'd pass it along. Jim is seriously a badass. Ferris should've shut up when he had the chance._ Leonard started the holo-vid:

" _Captain Kirk, what are you doing?" Ferris yelled at Jim as he stomped onto the bridge._

_She turned in the command chair and looked at him, "I'm going back to Makus III, Commissioner. Lieutenant Uhura commandeered a shuttle to attempt a rescue on her own, I'm not leaving her too."_

_Ferris stood in front of her, "Commandeered? You mean stolen. I'll see her tossed out of Starfleet for this. I demand that you turn this ship around and continue on your assigned mission to the New Paris colony. According to Starfleet Regulations…"_

_Jim stood, "Are you really quoting regulations at me on my bridge, Commissioner Ferris? Okay, I'll play along. Starfleet Regulation Article 7, Section 23, lines 89 through 92 state that 'In the event of the reassignment of command on a starship by a Starfleet Commissioner due to extraneous circumstances not involving dereliction of duty by the ship's captain, said captain reserves the right, should subsequent events dictate, to resume command if it becomes necessary to ensure the safety of the ship and it's crew.' This ship is without our first and science officer, the chief medical officer, the chief engineering officer, and the chief communications officer, not to mention two shuttles that are both vital to the full functionality of this ship. I'm going to get my crew back. That isn't a question or a wish, it's a fact. You have two options; you can stay out of my way or I'll make you get out of my way. I don't know what you think you know about me but make no mistake, I will fight for every person on this ship until my heart stops beating, and even then, I'll keep going. Now, stand over there and shut up before my huge Orion security officer makes you."_

_She glanced at Lieutenant Kai, who nodded, before Jim turned in her chair and began working with Sulu._

_–_ End Holo-vid.

Leo laughed his ass off, it wasn't funny but it was. No one who knows Jim is crazy enough to ever think that she'd leave people behind. He sent a quick thanks to Sulu before forwarding it to Scotty, the engineer is gonna get a kick outta that. "Computer, locate Captain Kirk."

"Captain Kirk is in her ready room." Leonard made his way to the bridge.

Sulu turned when he walked into the room, "Heads up, doc, Ferris is in there." Leo nodded and walked to the ready room's door, which let him in.

"We're busy, Doctor McCoy," Ferris looked pissed. He was huffing and puffing, his face was red.

"Doctor McCoy, is that the report on Latimer?" Jim asked, she knew the answer but she was fed up with Ferris.

"Yes, ma'am." He stepped closer to her desk and handed her the PADD.

"Thank you, Doctor." She looked at Ferris, "If you'll excuse us, we have a condolence letter to write."

Ferris glared at her, "Starfleet Command will hear about this! I don't care how much pull you think you have, Kirk."

Jim looked at him, "We'll make our rendezvous with time to spare, if you want to whine at Command because I followed my orders, have at it. I look forward to reading your report. In the meantime, I have more important things to do." Ferris looked at the two of them before leaving the room. Uhura and Spock were on the other side and Jim waved them in. As soon as the door shut, she burst into laughter, "I almost wish I went down there with you, he's a pain in the ass."

Uhura nodded, "I thought Preston was annoying."

Jim laughed, "He was but Ferris has him beat by a mile." Preston was an instructor at the academy, Leonard never had him but he heard stories about the man. Preston died on the Hood but they still bring him up every once in a while. "Wait 'til I tell Gary, he hates Ferris as much as I do." Mitchell was teaching at the academy due to an injury he got on the Wolcott over Vulcan.

Uhura looked at Jim, "Captain, I'm sorry. I know I violated every regulation…" Jim held her hand up, silencing Uhura.

"Don't apologize, you did what you had to do. I'm only mad that I didn't think of it first and don't worry about Starfleet, if anyone asks you were acting on my orders."

The communications officer looked at her, "Why would you do that?"

Jim smiled, "Because I look out for my crew. You got the others back, the rest is just details."

Uhura smiled and nodded, "Fair enough, ma'am."

Jim ordered Spock, Leonard and Uhura to get some rest, which meant that she would spend the rest of Beta shift –Spock's shift- on duty. Leo had to make her promise not to work Gamma shift as well, two full shifts on the bridge was enough. Seven minutes after Beta ended, Jim walked into her –their- quarters. Leonard had taken a shower and was napping on the couch.

"You scared the shit outta me, Bones." He opened his eyes and looked at his wife; she looked exhausted.

"I'm sorry, darlin'. It couldn't be avoided." She nodded as she made her way across the room and sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Come on." He stood up and pulled her into the bedroom, "When was the last time you got some sleep?"

She smiled, "You were down there for two days… so a little over two days ago." Leo helped her undress and pulled her into bed. Jim snuggled as close to him as she could, "I love you."

Leonard kissed the top of her head, "I love you too, darlin'. Now, get some sleep."

* * *

 

"Okay, explain that to me."

Jim chuckled, "Keenser knew George Sr." They were just finishing up at chow and sitting around talking.

Scotty nodded, "Correction, her father recruited Keenser." Leonard looked at the small officer that most of the crew couldn't understand. Jim gave him the edited version.

"Keenser is bigger than a regular Roylan, because of that, he hated it there. In 2230, my father, Captain Robau, and a security officer made first contact on Royla. Keenser ended up using his engineering skills to help pinpoint a problem with the shuttle, helped George fix it too. He was allowed to leave with the Kelvin's away team, becoming the first of his people to join Starfleet. He graduated from the academy three months after my father was killed." Keenser said something to Jim. She nodded, "I wish I got to meet him too. He was lucky to have you as a friend, Keens." The Roylan said something to her and she smiled, "You think so?" He nodded and said something else. Tears welled up in her eyes, "Love you too, buddy." Jim couldn't speak Roylan but she understood enough of it to know what Keenser said in his native language. The engineer speaks Standard but he only when he wants or needs to. Keenser pointed at Leo and said something else to Jim. She smiled, "Yea, I think George would like Bones too."

The doctor looked at her, "He really thinks your father would like me?"

Jim nodded, "That's what he said. Man, I gotta teach you some other languages."

Leo shrugged, "What are you teaching Joanna?"

"Vulcan. She's really good too, Bones."

He rolled his eyes, "That's what, the third one?"

She nodded, "Sam taught her Basque like he promised and basic Andorian. I'm teaching her Vulcan and she wants to learn French after that."

Keenser looked at him, "Smart. Like father."

Jim chuckled, "She is. It's pretty awesome to see."

Leonard's heart swelled and he smiled, "That's my girl."

Jim was about to say something but she was called to the bridge, "Off to work I go." She hopped up and grabbed her tray, "Later, fellas."

Keenser watched her leave, "Like father. Full of life. Always helping. Good person." Leonard nodded, the little guy was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this is in Bones' POV, the only way for him to see what happened with Ferris was a video. I realized that I never mentioned if Mitchell was alright after Nero and I ignored Keenser, so I decided to fix that in this chapter.


	29. Chapter 29

"That's just not fair," Sulu mumbled from next to him.

Leonard looked up and watched as Jim and Uhura walked into the shuttle bay in their wetsuits. The guys were already dressed in their suits, silver with division color accents and a back zipper, the women's suits were different. Jim's was gold, while Uhura's was red; they both had silver accents and a front zipper. This mission was crazy enough as it is but the two women just had to look like supermodels, Sulu was right, it wasn't fair.

They were going down to the planet Pacifica. It was an ocean class planet and a Federation Member State in the Taurus Reach region. The planet is the homeworld of the Selkie species and the location of a Federation colony. Most of the planet was covered in warm, blue waters. The areas of land they had were full of beaches, making it almost as popular as Risa for tourists. They were heading to the capital, the underwater city of hi'Leyi'a to see the Prime Minister. Leo didn't know the 'why', just the 'how'. They were taking the shuttle to the surface and diving to the city.

"Nice suit, Jim," he said to his wife.

She smirked, "Thanks. Not so bad yourself, Bonesy."

He looked at her, "I feel like an idiot."

She smiled, "You don't look like one. In fact, I like this look on you."

He raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yep. I'll show you just how much when we get back."

* * *

Of course, the Enterprise crew members –Jim, Leonard, Sulu, Uhura, Hendorff and Kai- showed up in the middle of a coup d'état. A small resistance had risen up inside the government and they decided that the Starfleet visit was the perfect time to attack. Jim was not amused. She didn't even feel like playing with these people, she just did the whole 'pay attention to me because I'm crazy' act giving Sulu, Kai and Hendorff enough time to move into striking positions.

Then all at once the two command officers and the two security officers struck; taking down the Selkie traitors and saving the Prime Minister and his family. When they got everything sorted out, she looked at him, " _I just want one mission that goes how it's supposed to_." He chuckled, " _Good luck with that, darlin'_."

* * *

He didn't know why, just that they were called back to Earth. San Francisco is much how they left it.

"Bet they're in there," Jim muttered. Leonard looked at his wife as they walked to their –that was weird- apartment. Sure enough, their families were inside.

"JIMMY!" Her brother swooped in and pulled her into a hug.

Jim laughed, "Hey, Sammy."

Her brother put her down and looked at him, "Sup, Lenny."

Leonard grumbled, "You been hanging out with Don, huh _Sammy_?"

The older Kirk sibling looked at him, "Yep. Congratulations, dude. Warning stands, I will kill for her… wouldn't be the first time."

Leonard nodded as his mama nudged past George, "Leave my baby alone, George Samuel."

The tall blonde looked terrified, "Yes, ma'am."

Leo hugged his mother, "Hi, mama."

She squeezed him tight, "Hi, sug." She held him for a few minutes before moving to her new- _ish_ daughter-in-law. They started a whispered conversation as Leo hugged his sister.

"Where is my daughter?" They all looked at each other.

Donna answered him, "Georgia. Jocelyn was gonna let her come but Clay got in the middle of it. Edward tried to help but Clay is being a stubborn ass. It almost pains me to say that their little boy is cute as can be and Jo loves little Clinton Edward something fierce. Jocelyn has mellowed out a bit but that husband of hers is just as stubborn and arrogant as can be, he might have met his match, though."

Leonard looked at them but Jim laughed, "She'll be here soon."

He gave his wife a look, "How do you figure?"

She smirked, "Who's missing?" He looked around the room and it hit him that Pike and Fred weren't there.

Leonard laughed, "Oh, I hope someone takes holos of that." His father-in-law was one of the most powerful men in Starfleet, not that he uses that power. Pike can be downright scary if he needs to be and he loves Joanna to death, Clay better hand the girl over and call it a day, he'll regret it if he does anything else.

* * *

"DADDY!" Joanna ran into the apartment and sprinted to her dad.

"Hey, sweetheart. I missed you."

She smiled at him, "I missed you too, daddy. Did you and Miss Jim really get married?"

Jim chuckled, "Yea, Jelly Bean, we did."

Joanna smiled even bigger, "Good."

Mama looked at them, "Out of the mouths of babes." Apparently, Joanna thought it was a good idea too. She stayed in Leonard's arms but reached for Jim's hand, playing with the simple titanium wedding band. Pike walked into the room with Fred behind him, the older officer had a cane but he was on his own feet.

Jim looked at him, "Daddy!"

The Admiral chuckled, "It's been years since you've called me that. Hey, sweetheart."

She wrapped her arms around him, "Missed you, old man. Nice cane."

Her dad nodded, "It was a gift."

"From Clare?" Jim teased.

Pike nodded, "Yes, so?"

Jim shrugged, "Nada, nothing, not a thing."

George chuckled, "So… that's who's been helping with your physical therapy. Now I know why you didn't want my help."

"Who is Clare?" Joanna asked.

Leonard looked at his daughter, "Mister Chris' friend."

Joanna looked at him, "Like Mama Jim was your friend?"

Pike was gonna say no but Jim and George both said "Yes."

Joanna looked at the Admiral, who took Jim's seat, "Are you gonna marry Miss Clare?" Jim and George seemed to be enjoying this line of questioning

"Yea, dad. Are you?" Pike looked at Jim.

She huffed, "I didn't ask, Sammy did but it's a good question. Anything you wanna tell us, old man?" Leonard never, ever, thought he'd see Christopher Pike blush, but that's exactly what happened.

"We're taking it slow, children," the older man told his kids.

Jim and George both looked at each other, then their dad, "FINALLY!" Pike looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"We've been nudging at you to go for it since we were kids. Took you long enough, dad," George said.

Pike rolled his eyes, "Yea, yea." Jim opened her mouth to say something but her communicator –and Pike's- went off.

"Bombing at London HQ, we gotta go. They called an emergency session at Daystrom," Pike told the room. "Jim, suit up." She nodded at her dad and hopped up to put on her grey dress uniform.

"Gimme five minutes." Leo, George and Pike all looked at each other.

"More like ten," He mumbled.

They started laughing until Jim yelled from the bedroom, "I heard that, Leonard Horatio."

George laughed, "That's really your middle name? I thought you were kidding."

Leonard looked at him, "Watch it George Samuel."

It only took Jim six minutes. She gave Leonard a kiss before kissing Jo and George's foreheads and leaving with Pike, "We'll see ya later."

Joanna looked at him, "They'll be okay, right daddy?"

He nodded, "I hope so, sweetie.

* * *

"He's alive but Uncle Phil doesn't know if he can keep him that way. He wants to put him in a coma, said it might help. Len… If my dad dies…" Leonard tucked her long bangs behind her ear.

"Jim, look at me." She took a breath and faced him. "I can't promise that he'll be okay because I don't know. What I do know is that you will make the person responsible for this pay."

She looked at him, "Aren't you supposed to talk me down?"

He shook his head, "That was before someone shot my father-in-law. Let's go get this bastard."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Into darkness we go.


	30. Chapter 30

"Attention, crew of the Enterprise. As most of you know, there was an attack on the Kelvin Memorial Archive and the Daystrom Conference room. In total, over fifty officers were killed and countless others injured including the former commanding officer of this ship, Admiral Christopher Pike." She took a breath, "The man who is responsible for these acts of terrorism has fled our system and is hiding on the Klingon homeworld, somewhere he believes we are unwilling to go. We are on our way there now. Per our orders, it is essential that our presence go undetected as tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire have been high, any provocation could lead to an all out war. I will personally lead a landing party to an abandoned city on the surface of Qo'noS, where my team and I will capture the fugitive John Harrison, and return him to Earth so he can face judgment for his actions. Alright, let's go get him, Kirk out."

Leonard was listening to her from sickbay. Everyone on the ship, everyone, was up for catching this guy. It was one thing to attack a group head on but to blow up an archive and ambush a conference room was just cowardice. Making matters worse, Jim, Spock, Clare, Chris and a bunch of officers they knew were all in the room. This guy attacked their captain, they would kill him for that just on principle.

* * *

"So, you're actually going down there, aren't you? You know, you shouldn't rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat tire."

Jim looked at him while she hit the comm, "I'm sure Engineering will have us all patched up by the time we get back. Isn't that right, Scotty?"

Leonard heard the man chuckle, "You bet your ass, Captain." The ship manually dropped out of warp twenty minutes from where they were supposed to be. Leo had that feeling like something was really wrong but Jim decided to launch the mission anyway.

She cut the comm and took a breath, "Bones, you have the con. Once we're on route, I want you to transmit a targeted comm-burst to Harrison's location. You tell him you have bunch of real big torpedoes pointed at his head. If he doesn't play nice, you're not afraid to use 'em."

He looked at her, "You're leaving me in command? Are you crazy?"

"Debatable. Come on, Bones, you're gonna do great. I wouldn't leave the ship in your care if I didn't think you could do it," she said with a shrug.

"So, you're just sitting me down at a high stakes poker game with no cards and I gotta bluff? I'm no captain, Jim."

She smiled, "Well, for the next two hours you are. Make sure that the K'normian ship is ready to fly." And just like that, he was now the Acting Captain of the Federation's flagship. He sat in Jim's chair and hit the comm for the shuttle bay.

"Acting Captain McCoy to shuttle bay two. Have the trade ship we confiscated during the Mudd incident last month, fueled up and ready to go. Captain Kirk is heading your way." So far, they had –unlawful- orders to kill someone, took on six dozen advanced torpedoes that scared Jim and Scotty, got another science officer, the ship was damaged near Klingon space and Jim had left him in charge. Leonard was having one hell of a day.

They hadn't been gone long when they comm'ed the ship, "Bones, looks like we found our man. You wanna let him know that we mean business?"

Leonard chuckled, "Can do." He left the connection to Jim, Spock, Uhura, Hendorff and Edwards open so that they could hear him, "Attention, John Harrison. This is Captain Leonard McCoy of the USS Enterprise. There is a shuttle of highly trained officers en route to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will launch our entire payload of advanced long range torpedoes currently locked on to your location. You have five minutes to confirm your compliance. Don't test me; it won't end well for you."

Everyone on the bridge looked at him and Sulu spoke, "Where'd you learn that?"

Leo shrugged, "Three years with Jim."

The helmsman nodded and looked at Chekov, "Best to stay on the doc's good side."

Chekov nodded, "Da. I zhought zhe Keptin was scary."

* * *

Besides some cuts and bruises the away team came back in one piece. Jim and Hendorff even seemed to have gained some measure of respect for each other that they didn't have before. Leo walked with Jim and Spock to the brig, "Why the hell did he surrender?"

Jim shrugged, "No clue, but he just took out a squadron of Klingons single-handedly. I kinda wanna know how he did that, Bones." Harrison was a tough guy, he was Starfleet, it was part of the job but this seemed to be something else.

"Sounds like we have a Superman on board," Leo tossed out.

His wife looked at him, "You tell me." Jim, Leonard and Spock walked up to Harrison, who's being kept in cell.

Leonard activated the opening, "Put your arm through the hole, I'm gonna take a blood sample." Surprisingly, Harrison did as the doctor asked. The man looked over Leo's shoulder.

"Why aren't we moving, Captain? Perhaps it's an unexpected malfunction in your warp core, conveniently stranding you on the edge of the Klingon space?"

"How the hell do you know that?" Leonard asked before he could think better not to.

"Bones," Jim shook her head.

Harrison chuckled, "I think you'd find my insight valuable, Captain." Jim and Harrison stared at each other through the glass as Leo finished up.

"We good, Bones?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

Jim glanced at him, "Let me know what you find." The three officers begin to walk away but Harrison called out to them.

"Ignore me, and you will get everyone on this ship killed," their prisoner told them. Jim stopped.

Spock looked at her, "Captain, I believe he will only attempt to manipulate you. I would not recommend engaging the prisoner further." She looked at Bones.

He shrugged, "You wanna know why, only way to figure it out is to talk to him."

She nodded, "Give me a minute." She left Leo and Spock where they were standing and walked over to Harrison's cell.

"Let me explain what's happening here. You are a criminal, I watched you murder innocent men and women. I was authorized to kill you! The only reason you are still alive is because I am allowing it. So shut your mouth!" Jim was pissed.

Harrison looked at her, "Oh, Captain, you can punch me again, over and over, until your arm weakens. Clearly, you want to. So, tell me why did you allow me to live?"

Jim looked at him, "I'm not a murderer. I only kill when their aren't any other options, not because someone told me to."

Harrison nodded, "Which is exactly why I surrendered to you. You have a conscience, Miss Kirk. If you did not, then it would be impossible for me to convince you of the truth. Two-three-one-seven-four-six-one-one. Coordinates not far from Earth. If you want to know why I did what I did, go and take a look."

Jim regarded him for a second, "Give me one reason why I should listen you."

The man on the other side of the glass nodded, "I can give you seventy-two. They're on board your ship, Captain. They have been, all along. I suggest you open one up."

Jim looked at Harrison for a second before she walked away. "What are you gonna do, Jim?"

She took a breath as they left the brig, "I'm gonna send someone to those coordinates. And I'm gonna open a torpedo."

* * *

"I swear you've lost your mind. You're not gonna actually listen to this guy. Your dad is in a coma he almost killed both of you, and Spock, and now you think it's a good idea to pop open a torpedo because he dared you to?"

She looked at him, "Why did he save our lives, Bones?"

Spock stood next to Leonard, "The doctor does have a point, Captain."

Leonard looked at the first officer, "Don't agree with me, Spock. It makes me very uncomfortable."

"Perhaps you too should learn to govern your emotions, Doctor. In this situation, logic dictates that we have..."

Leonard cut him off, "Logic! There's a maniac trying to make us blow up our own damn ship, and you're talking about..."

Jim stopped him, "Stop it! I don't think that's why he surrendered. Scotty, can you do it?"

The engineer nodded, "Aye, but…"

Jim looked at him, "But?"

"I have to get the ship fixed, lass. We're sitting ducks out here," the engineer sighed.

Leonard looked at Jim, "Anyone else qualified to just pop open a four ton stick of dynamite?"

Spock nodded, "The Admiral's daughter appeared to be have interest in the torpedoes and she is a weapons specialist. Perhaps she could be of some use." Jim, Leo and Scotty all looked at him and the Captain asked the question.

"What Admiral's daughter? Me?"

"Carol Marcus. Your new Science Officer concealed her identity to board the ship," Spock was just dropping bombs today.

"And when were you gonna tell me that?" Jim asked.

He looked at her, "When it became relevant, as it just did." Damn, passive aggressive bullshit is what that was. He should've told Jim what was going on.

* * *

Jim had Carol come up to the bridge to join in their little pow-wow. "Are the torpedoes in the weapons bay?" Carol asked them.

Scotty nodded, "Loaded and ready to fire. What are they? I couldn't get a reading when I scanned them."

Carol shrugged, "I don't know, that's why I forged my transfer on to this ship to find out why."

She looked at Jim, "I do apologize for that, by the way. If I cause you any problems, I am sorry. I'm Carol Marcus."

Jim nodded, "Jim Kirk."

Carol took a breath, "My father gave me access to every program he oversaw, when I heard he was developing these prototype torpedoes, I went to confront him about it and he wouldn't even see me. That's when I discovered that torpedoes had disappeared from all official records."

"And then he gave them to me," Jim said to the weapons expert.

"You're much smarter than your reputation suggests, Captain Kirk," the weapons officer said.

Jim chuckled, "Yea, well, party girl and daddy's girl are more fun to talk about then married with a Ph.D. and a stack of commendations." A few people on the bridge looked at her, then they looked at Leonard, who smirked as he thought to himself, 'that's right. She's taken.'

Carol looked at Jim, "It's too dangerous to try and open one of these torpedoes on the Enterprise. But there is a nearby planetoid, I can open up one there. I'm gonna need some help. Who has the steadiest hands on the ship?"

Jim chuckled, "Bonesy, you're up."

He rolled his eyes, "Great."


	31. Chapter 31

Leo was in sickbay with Doctor Marcus watching the live feed from the brig. The pair of doctors found something interesting when they cracked one of those things open.

_Jim walked right up to Harrison, "Why is there a man in that torpedo?"_

_Harrison looked at her, "There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there."_

_Jim and Spock looked at each other and she asked, "Who the hell are you? I looked up John Harrison. Until two years ago, he didn't exist."_

_Harrison took a breath, "I have many identities, Captain. It is a vital tool to the successful completion of my missions. Officially, the man I was before is dead, I was genetically engineered to be superior. John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus. My name before that no longer matters."_

_Jim didn't say anything for a while, "Why did he choose you?"_

_He looked at her, "Because I am better."_

_"At what?" Jim asked._

_Harrison just looked at her, "Everything. Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, but for that he needed a warriors mind, my mind, to design weapons and warships."_

_Spock stepped forward, "You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vow to uphold simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect."_

_Jim shook her head, "No… Marcus wanted to exploit his savagery. Intellect by itself is useless in a fight. You can't even break the rules, Spock. No one would expect you to break bone._ "

_Harrison nodded, "Marcus used me to design weapons, to help him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet. Then he sent you to use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet. This ship was purposely crippled in enemy space, leading to one inevitable outcome."_

_Jim took a breath, "The Klingons will come searching for those responsible, and we'd have no chance of escape. It would be the war Marcus wants. That still doesn't explain you opening fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers."_

_"Marcus took my crew from me! He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed, but I was discovered, I had no choice but to escape alone. When I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind. They are my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?"_

Leo knew the answer to that question, everyone on the ship knew the answer. Sulu interrupted Jim and Spock's conversation with Harrison to notify them that a ship was incoming and it wasn't the Klingons. "Your father?"

Carol looked at him, "I think so. I should've seen this, doctor. How could I have been so blind?"

He touched her arm, "Because he's your dad and you love him. We all want to see the best in our parents. It's just life." A moment later, a security team walked into sickbay with Harrison, "That bed over there."

Hendorff nodded, "Roger that, doc."

* * *

 _"Captain Kirk," Admiral Marcus didn't look happy._ Leonard, Carol and everyone on the ship who wasn't working on something important was watching the screens, Jim had no doubt ordered Uhura to broadcast this conversation all over the ship.

_Jim kept her cool, "Admiral Marcus, I wasn't excepting you. It's a hell of a ship you got there."_

_Marcus glared, "And I wasn't expecting to get word that you'd taken Harrison into custody in violation of your orders."_

_Jim nodded, "Well, we uh...we had to improvise when our warp core unexpectedly malfunctioned. I'm guessing you already knew that, didn't you, sir?_

_Marcus twitched, "I don't take your meaning."_ Liar, liar pants on fire as Joanna would say. He knew a lot more than he was willing to admit and they could all see it. Carol looked like she was gonna be sick, or cry, maybe both.

" _Well, that's why you're here, isn't it? To assist with our repairs? Why else would the head of Starfleet personally come to the edge of Klingon space?" Jim asked. Sulu whispered something to Jim and she nodded, "Is there something I can help you find, sir?"_

_The Admiral looked at her, "Where is your prisoner, Kirk?"_

_"Per Starfleet regulation, I'm planning on returning Harrison, or whatever his real name is, to Earth to stand trial," Jim was treading carefully._

_Marcus didn't seem too happy, "Well, shit. You talked to him. It's exactly what I was hoping to spare you from. I took a tactical risk utilizing that bastard, believing that his superior intelligence could help us protect ourselves from whatever came at us next. I made a mistake, and now the blood of everybody he's killed is on my hands. So, I'm asking you, give him to me, so that I can end what I started."_

_Jim took a breath, "And what exactly would you like me to do with the rest of his people, sir? Fire them at the Klingons? End seventy-two lives? Start a war in the process?"_

_"He put those people in those torpedoes. I simply didn't want to burden you with knowing what was inside of them. You saw what this man can do all by himself. Can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his team. What else did he tell you? That he's a peace keeper? He's playing you, child. Don't you see that? I'm gonna ask you again! One last time, lower your shields and tell me where he is," Marcus practically ordered her._

"This isn't going to end well," Harrison said from where security held him. Leo hated to agree with the guy, but he was right.

_"He's in Engineering, sir, but I'll have him moved to the transporter room right away," Jim lied._

_Marcus didn't seem to notice, "I'll take it from here."_

Then the whole broadcast went dark. A moment later, the ship went to warp. Usually, Leo would be comforted by that fact but something about the look Carol and Harrison sent each other scared him. "I'm guessing that we aren't safe at warp?" Leonard carefully asked them. H

arrison looked at Leo, "No, doctor, we are not." Carol bolted from the room, no doubt heading to the bridge.

* * *

 _"Sir, it's me. It's Carol."_ The bridge was broadcasting again. Marcus' ship knocked them out of warp and started firing. Leo had a couple injuries to take care of but he listened just like everyone else.

_"What are you doing on that ship?" Marcus asked his daughter._

_She took a breath, "I heard what you said. That you made a mistake and now you're doing everything you can to fix it, but, Dad... I... I don't believe that the man who raised me is capable of destroying a ship full of innocent of people. And...if I'm wrong about that, then you're gonna have to do it with me on board."_ Leonard couldn't help the respect for Carol that washed over him. She basically just told her father that she was with them, not him.

_"Actually, Carol, I won't," the older Marcus told her.  
_

_"Jim," Carol called._

_"Can we intercept the transport signal?" Jim asked someone on the bridge. One of the crew told her no._

_The next thing Leonard heard was Jim scream, "Carol!"_

_Marcus' voice returned, "Captain Kirk, without authorization and in league with the fugitive John Harrison, you went rogue in enemy territory, leaving me no choice but to hunt you down and destroy you."_ What the fuck?

 _"Wait, sir, my crew was just...was just following my orders. I take full responsibility for my actions, but they were mine, and they were mine alone. If I transmit Harrison's location to you now, all that I ask is that you spare them. Please, sir. I'll do anything you want. Just let them live."_ Leonard felt like the air was forced from his lungs.

Chapel looked at him, "Is the Admiral really gonna kill us?" He didn't have an answer for her, or anyone else.

 _"That's a hell of an apology. If it's any conciliation, I was never gonna spare your crew," Marcus said._ That was the plan all along.

"He's gonna kill us anyway. Oh, God," Chapel whispered.


	32. Chapter 32

"Tell me everything you know about that ship," Jim ordered Harrison.

The man looked at her, "Dreadnought Class, two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry, modified for minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat."

She nodded, "I want to kill you. I mean, I _really_ want to kill you and I will do everything I can to make you answer for what you did. As much as it pains me to admit, right now I need your help."

Harrison looked at her, "In exchange for what?"

Jim shook her head, "Nothing. It's simple, really. Your people and mine are both on this ship; Marcus will kill all of us if we don't stop him. You are the only one who knows the details about that ship. Now, you can sit here and we all die, or you can come with me and stop him. Your choice."

Harrison nodded, "I'm in."

Leonard looked at her, "Jim…"

"I know what you're gonna say but we're out of options."

Leo chuckled and pulled her aside, "Nope. I was gonna tell you to watch yourself. I ran his blood like you asked me to; he's superhuman… for lack of a better term. The regenerative properties are something I've never seen before. It's like a... cure all. I bet he has a resistance to pain, faster healing, higher than normal endurance and senses."

Jim nodded, "That's just great." She motioned to the security team to walk with them; Leonard stayed on her flank as she comm'ed Mitchell and George, who were on the enemy ship.

"You owe me big, Jimmy. Gary too. What's the plan?" her brother asked.

"We're coming over there. Sulu's maneuvering the Enterprise into position as we speak."

Mitchell's voice came over the comm, "You're coming to this ship? How?"

Harrison took Jim's communicator, "There's a cargo door, hanger seven, access port one-zero-one-Alpha. You need to find the manual override to open that airlock."

"Sounds crazy… like usual, Jimbo… and whoever that was. We got this, we'll get set up," Mitchell told her.

Harrison looked at her, "Your crew seems to be a bit informal." Jim shrugged but didn't offer an answer. Leo doubts that she was going to tell the guy that her brother -who wasn't even in Starfleet- and her best friend were the two men helping them out. When Harrison gave her the coordinates, Jim had to send someone she could trust.

The group walked into a room that Leonard has never been in before. Zahra, one of Jim's security officers handed her and Harrison some gear.

"You sure you don't want me to go with you, ma'am," the woman with short platinum hair asked.

Jim nodded, "I need you here, Zahra, but thanks for the offer."

The security officer glared at Harrison, "Anything happens to my Captain over there and I will kill you… painfully, slowly… you'll beg me to end your life." The other officers in the room stood a little taller, including Leonard.

Harrison nodded at Zahra, "I understand, Lieutenant." Jim smirked as she put her suit on but didn't say anything.

Leonard gave her a quick kiss and whispered, "Come back to me, darlin'."

"Always," she replied as Harrison watched them. Leonard didn't say anything to the man, he just glared at him. The doctor left the room and headed to the bridge.

Leonard stood next to Spock who was in Jim's chair. "Captain, before you launch, you should be aware, there is a considerable debris field between our ships."

Jim chuckled over the comm, "Gee thanks, Spock. Sam, Mitch, how we doing?"

The two men chuckled and George answered her, "Almost there, Jimmy. Just give us two seconds, alright? This ship is fucking huge."

Leo looked at Spock, "Tell me this gonna work."

The half-Vulcan looked at him, "I have neither the information or the confidence to do so, Doctor."

Leonard rolled his eyes, "Boy, you're a real comfort."

"You ready?" they heard Jim ask.

Harrison didn't actually answer her, "Are you?" Leonard was antsy when Jim's voice came over the system again.

"Spock, pull the trigger," she told them.

Spock responded that they were ready, "Launching activation sequence on three...two...one." The Enterprise access door was opened; Jim and Harrison were launched out into space. Leonard was watching the monitors as one of the crew alerted them that Jim was headed for a collision. "Captain, there is debris directly ahead," Spock informed her.

Jim heard him, "Copy that."

Leonard was watching her trajectory, "Jim! You're way off course!"

"I know, I know! I can see that, Bonesy," she told him.

Sulu spoke up from his station, "Use your display compass, Captain. You must correct precisely thirty-seven point two-four- three degrees."

They could hear her breathe, "I got it, working my way back. Mitch, are you going to be ready with that door?" There was no answer. "Mitch, Sam, you guys copy?"

Uhura hit some commands, "Captain, they can't seem to hear you. I'm working on getting their signal back, standby."

"Dammit," Jim muttered.

Leonard looked at Spock, "Jim, what's wrong?"

She answered him, "My helmet was hit. Uhura, tell me you have Mitch and Sam back."

Uhura kept working, "Not yet. I'm still working on the signal. Their gear working, I don't know why we're not getting a response." Sulu alerted them that there was an imminent collision detected.

Spock notified the pair, "Harrison, use evasive action, there is debris directly ahead." Leonard didn't like this. Mere seconds after Harrison responded that he saw the debris, they lost his signal. Sulu was having trouble keeping track of them. Jim asked if they lost Harrison. "We're trying to locate him now," Spock told her.

"Captain, you need to adjust your target destination to one-eight-three by four-seven-three degrees," Sulu gave Jim a course correction.

"Guys, my display is dead. I'm flying blind," his wife informed the officers on her bridge.

Spock looked at Leonard before talking to Jim, "Captain, without your display compass, hitting your target destination is mathematically impossible."

They all heard Jim chuckle, "I swear, you and Bones both need work on your bedside manner."

"Commander, she's not gonna make it," Sulu informed them.

At that moment, Harrison's signal came back online, "My display is still functioning. I see you, Kirk. You're two hundred meters ahead at my one o'clock. Cut to your left, a few degrees and follow me." Leo was never gonna like Harrison but he owed him one.

"Mitch, we're getting close. Do you copy? Do you copy, Sam?!" Jim was worried more about her brother then herself, Leo could tell.

Spock looked at Uhura, "If you can hear us, Doctor Kirk, Mister Mitchell, open the door in ten...nine... eight… seven… six... five... four… three… two… open the door." Jim and Harrison shot through the hatch as it opened at the last second.

"Comms are gone but I have their signal," Uhura let them know.

Spock looked at her, "Lieutenant, I need you to assemble all senior medical and engineering staff in the weapons bay."

Uhura nodded, "Alright."

Spock turned to face him, "Doctor McCoy, you inadvertently activated a torpedo, could you replicate the process?"

Leonard looked at him like he was crazy, "Why the hell would I want to do that?"

"Leonard, can you do it or not?" Spock never calls anyone, other than Uhura, by first name.

Leo looked at the Acting Captain, "I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician."

Spock nodded, "The fact that you're doctor is precisely why I need you to listen very carefully. I do not trust Harrison to keep his word once Marcus is out of the way. He will come for his people; we need to get them out of the torpedoes as quickly as possible."

Leonard thought about it, "So that we can blow the weapons after he takes them. That sounds like something Jim would do."

Spock nodded, "Indeed."

* * *

"Bones! Bones! Nurse!" He looked up to find his wife, George and Mitchell running into sickbay, the two men on either side of Carol. He doesn't know what happened on that ship or how they got back but he was happy to see the four of them in one piece. Chapel and Parnell, another nurse, get hold of Carol and moved her to a bio-bed.

"Welcome back, darlin'."

She looked at him, "You helped Spock detonate those torpedoes?"

He chuckled, "Damn right, I did."

"He killed them," the look on Jim's face was priceless.

Leonard chuckled, "Spock's cold, but he's not that cold. I've got Harrison's crew. Seventy-two human popsicles, safe and sound in their cryo-tubes."

Jim looked at the tubes, "Son of a bitch. Is this what happens when I leave you two alone?" Leonard was gonna answer her but the ship took that moment to lose power.

"Shit, that's the core. You two, with me," Jim said as she ran out of medical.

George nodded, "Your job never seems to end, sis." He and Mitchell followed her out the door. They must be close to a planet because the ship started falling.

"Alright, everyone, engage emergency lockdown." Leonard ran from bed to bed, strapping people down. He reached Carol, "I hope you don't get seasick."

She looked at him, "Do you?"

Leo nodded, "Yeah." He was about to move away but she grabbed his arm.

"She'll fix it, right?" Carol asked.

He smiled, "If anyone can, it's Jim."

* * *

They leveled out but Leonard wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. The officers entering the room with a body bag a few minutes later confirmed his suspicions. He slowly unzipped the bag, "Oh God." Breathe, Leo. Breathe and then think. There has to be something he could do. Harrison's blood. "Get me a cyro-tube, now!" The other officers moved at lightning speed, Carol wasn't as fast but she was still helping. "Get this guy out of the cryo-tube, keep him in an induced coma. We're gonna put him inside. It's our only chance to preserve his brain function."

Carol nodded, "How much of Harrison's blood do you have?"

He shook his head, "None!"

"Enterprise to Kirk. Jim, come in. Spock?" He got no reply from her as they moved George into the cryo-tube. "Activate the cryogenic sequence." Carol punched in the code and Leo comm'ed Uhura, "McCoy to bridge. I can't reach Jim or Spock. I need Harrison alive! You get that son of a bitch back on-board, right now! I think he can save Jim's brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes... I just did that. Don't worry, I'll tell ya'll what happened in Engineering in a future chapter.


	33. Chapter 33

_"Oh, no! No! No! No!" Scotty was trying to fix the warp core but something was wrong._

_"What?" Jim asked him._

_"The housings are misaligned, there's no way we can redirect the power! The ship is dead, ma'am. She's gone," Scotty looked lost._

_Jim shook her head, "No, she's not." She ran off to open the entrance to the warp core._

_"Whoa, Jimmy, what are you going?" George asked her._

_Mitchell nodded, "I don't know much about Engineering but I do know that if we go in there, we'll die. Will you listen to me? What the hell are you doing?!"_

_She nodded, "I'm opening the door, I'm going in." Mitchell grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back._

_Scotty got in front of her, "That door is there to stop us from getting irradiated! We'll be dead before we made the climb."_

_"But if someone doesn't fix it, the ship will fall out of the sky and everyone_ _**will** _ _die," George said to them._

_Jim nodded, "Yea, that."_

_Her brother looked at her, "What's the code to the door?"_

_She shook her head, "Sam, no. This… this is my job, my ship, my fight."_

_He looked at her, "You've been fighting for everyone since you were a kid, Jimmy, even me. My turn to fight for you. Now, what's the code?"_

_She looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Nine-six-Delta-Alpha-seven-two-zero. Sam…"_

_He looked at her, "I'll be fine, sis. Love you too." Jim looked though the glass, watching her brother climb to the warp core. George managed to make it all the way in and kicked the warp core back into place before crawling back down to the door._

_"You gotta close that hatch behind you," Jim told him as she sat down and rested her head against the door that kept them apart._

_He nodded and painfully reached up to hit the control, "Guess I'm a big hero, too."_

_Jim chuckled, "It's not as awesome as I make it look."_

_George smiled, "No kidding. It's something I've always admired you, Jim. You didn't ask for any of this and yet, you put your life on the line for people every day, even people who spend all their time trying to stop you. Don't quit, Jim. Don't ever… quit. I love you." Then he stopped breathing. Jim sat there pressed to the glass, tears running down her face._

_"Captain? Jim?" She looked up at Spock who was standing next to Scotty, Mitchell and Uhura, "What do you need, my friend?"_

_Jim's eyes iced over, "I want Harrison. That son of a bitch is a dead man. Mitch?"_

_He nodded, "I'll stay with George. You guys go get that bastard."_

-End holo-vid

"How long have you been here?" Leonard looked up from the console to find Boyce standing at the entrance to the office he was using.

"A couple days. My wife hasn't gone home, so neither am I. Have you seen this?"Leo gestured to the screen.

Boyce nodded, "Yea... yea. I don't know what to think or feel about that. At least I managed to keep it from Chris." Pike was given the same serum that Leonard made for George. The Admiral was up and out of the hospital in three days, without the need for his cane. It was amazing how fast he healed. George, on the other hand, was going on two weeks in a coma.

Leonard nodded just as the PADD in front of him beeped, "George is awake." The two doctors practically ran to George's room.

Jim had her arms around him, "Don't ever do that to me again." His mama, Clare and Chris just watched the siblings.

"It was me or you, sis. Isn't that what you say to people?" George asked.

"Yea, she does and it's annoying as hell. Can I do my job, darlin'? I'll give him back in a second." Jim smiled at Leonard, nodded and moved to stand next to her dad. "Hey, George." Leo ran his tricorder over the older Kirk sibling, "Before you ask, you were only barely dead. It was the transfusion that really took its toll. You were out cold for two weeks."

George looked at him, "Transfusion?"

Leonard nodded at his brother-in-law, "Your cells were heavily irradiated. We had no choice."

"How? Who?" the older Kirk asked.

Jim answered his question, "Harrison. Bones made a serum from his crazy blood after we... caught him. Ya feelin' homicidal, power-mad, despotic?"

George chuckled, "No more than usual, sis. How'd you catch him?"

Jim shrugged, "A little bit of this and that. Details… not important."

Leonard looked at her and laughed, "You and Spock almost beat him to death. Uhura is the only reason you didn't kill him."

Jim took a breath, "You think I'm gonna feel bad about that? Harrison is lucky we didn't do more then that."

Leonard smiled, "I'm still surprised that you didn't kill him. I almost did." Everyone looked at him and he shrugged, "They brought my brother-in-law to sickbay in a body bag. That is a feeling I will never forget. I hope I never see that _man_ again, I'll kill him."

* * *

"What was that for?" Jim kissed him when they walked into their apartment.

"I need a reason to kiss you, Bones?"

He shook his head, "Not at all, darlin'. As a matter of fact, I think I need to kiss you some more." Jim smiled and brought her lips to his. They hadn't been alone since all this got started and in this moment, nothing else in the world mattered. Leonard pulled Jim against him and deepened the kiss; he was rewarded with a moan from his wife. Leo pressed her against the wall, pulling her shirt over her head as he did. She reached for the hem of his shirt, tugged it over his head and let it fall to the floor. She unfastened his pants and pushed them off, then he slid her jeans down her legs. Leo kissed her again; he knew he was driving her crazy. Every time he looks at her she gets more and more beautiful, it's like he got to see her for the first time every day.

Leonard picked her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist and circled her arms around his neck. "Bones," tumbled out of her mouth as he slid into her. Their bodies moved together hard and fast. The feel of her against him was as close to perfect as he was gonna get in this lifetime. She locked her eyes with his and it sent a rush of electricity through them both. "Oh God," it came out as a chocked sob, she was so close. Jim clung to him and her body tightened around him.

"I love you, Jim." His words, whispered into her ear sent her shattering into a million pieces, Leonard followed right behind her.

Jim chuckled against his shoulder, "This is when my dad or George usually walks in."

Leonard watched as the laughter turned into tears, "It's alright, darlin'. Everybody is okay." She didn't say anything, she just nodded and kept her hold on him. Leonard tightened his grip on Jim and carried her to their bedroom; the rest of the universe can do without them for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY! Everyone is alright... well, everyone but Harrison.


	34. Chapter 34

"I was thinking about joining Starfleet," Jim looked at her brother. George and Leonard burst into laughter. "You should see your face. I would never, you and dad are doing just fine without me in uniform too. Besides, I would hate to be outranked by my little sister."

Jim shrugged, "Bones doesn't seem to mind."

Leo shook his head, "Leave me out of this."

George laughed, "Of course he doesn't mind. He gets to watch you in that short ass uniform dress, telling people what to do. I bet he gets to call the shots in bed… that's all that matters." Leonard glared at his brother-in-law but didn't respond, it was mostly the truth.

Jim rolled her eyes, "I guess I should ask Gary how he feels about calling the shots."

George looked at her and the smile faded, "He's pissed at me. He gets it, why I did what I did… he's your friend and he would die for you too but… I guess we both care about each other more then we cared to admit."

She smiled, "I told you that years ago. You guys are almost as bad as dad and Clare."

George shrugged, "After Shannon…" Shannon, as Leonard learned, was George's fiancé a while ago… she died in a shuttle crash a month after they got engaged. Her family blamed George because he was in San Francisco taking care of a sick Jim while their dad was off planet and Shannon took his place on a research project. Ever since then, George jumps from person to person but Mitchell showed up outta nowhere, kinda like Jim did with Leonard. George has spent years fighting his feelings towards the pilot and Gary just gave him space, letting him work everything out in his head and heart… at least until now.

"Just tell him you love him and get it over with, life is too fucking short, Sammy," Jim told her brother.

"Don't I know it. I'll try… it's not gonna be an easy conversation to have. At least I'm not in the hospital anymore." Leonard released him a few days ago, just in time to get called before the ethics committee. What he did to save George went against a couple rules. Technically, he had permission from Jim as the ship's captain and George's sister but the brass liked questioning everything she –and her crew- did.

Jim kissed her brother on the head and hugged him, "It'll be alright."

George chuckled, "I'm supposed to say that to you. When did you become the older sibling?"

Jim shrugged, "I didn't, you just need me. That's all." Leonard smiled at them, if there was any good to come out of all this crap, it was that everyone seemed to be a little closer. Jim and Spock were even on the same page about stuff.

* * *

"Doctor McCoy, you violated half a dozen regulations and preformed an untested, unauthorized procedure on a civilian. What do you have to say for yourself?" This shit, again. How Jim does this all the time he'll never know. Leonard was about to answer when Jim stood up.

"Sirs, ma'am, if I may?"

Komack glared, "You're only here as a courtesy, Kirk."

She nodded, "I'm aware of that fact but if you would just indulge me a moment, Admirals?"

Johnson looked at her, "Please, Captain."

Jim took a breath, "Thank you, ma'am. Doctor McCoy is one of the best doctors in the fleet. He has always gone above and beyond to help and heal all those in his care. On the day in question, that included my older brother. George risked his life to assist the Enterprise crew in stopping Harrison and Marcus from starting a war that would have killed billions of people. Doctor McCoy was only doing what was necessary to save his life. Because George is my brother, Spock gave him permission as his senior officer and I gave him permission as the next of kin. We were all well aware that what he did was an untested procedure but I was willing to risk it. Doctor McCoy committed no crime, if you punish him for saving a life, I'll walk." Komack seemed to find pleasure in her statement but Jim wasn't done, "And I'll take all of them with me."

She pointed to one of the large windows, everyone in the room moved to look. Standing in the courtyard at attention were Pike, Boyce, Clare, Mitchell and every crew member from the Enterprise, the crew of the Yorktown, a group from Starfleet Medical HQ and a bunch of instructors. "If he goes, you'll lose an Admiral, two Captains, seven medical doctors, nineteen nurses and one thousand, three hundred and forty-six of the best officers that have ever put on the uniform. You will also have a very big problem with the Vulcan High Council. Given the fleet is severely undermanned after Vulcan and can't afford the bad press, I suggest you choose wisely about the punishment you're planning to give my Chief Medical Officer for saving the life of the late Lieutenant Commander George Kirk's only son." Jim stood there for another moment before she sat down.

She never –ever- uses her father's name for anything. It doesn't matter what someone does or how pissed off she is, she's never pulled the Kirk card, until now… for him. The Admiralty whispered between themselves for a few moments before Johnson spoke, "Doctor McCoy, your actions violate multiple regulations, however, you were acting with the permission of your commanding and executive officers to save a life. It is the decision of this board that an official reprimand will be entered into your file and any further punishment will be determined by your CO. You are dismissed."

He looked at Jim and they walked out of the room, "How did you do that?"

Jim shrugged, "I'm awesome, I thought you knew that."

Leo nodded, "Yes, ma'am. I'm just surprised that everyone backed me up."

She looked at him, "I wish you could see the Leonard that I see, it would make my life easier. You're amazing, Bones... always where, always will be." He smiled as they joined the officers outside. Jamie looked at the group, "A reprimand in his file, that's it."

A cheer went up and Pike dismissed everyone, "I thought I was gonna have to hurt someone. You saved my son, I don't care how you did it… they can kiss my ass."

Leonard nodded, "Yea, well… I would've taken whatever punishment they gave me anyway." Leonard loved George; they were related by marriage but friends by choice. Those who stayed looked at him, "We're family. I'm not like Jim where I go out and fight to protect people. I'm a healer, a fixer, that's what I did and I'll be damned if I apologize for it."

Scotty smiled, "Amen to that, laddie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left.


	35. Chapter 35

"Ready to spend the next five years in space?"

Leo looked at Pike and shrugged. "I could take it or leave it to be honest with you but anyone who spends five minutes with Jim knows that exploring the stars is where she's meant to be. I go where she goes."

Pike smiled, "Exactly what a guy wants to hear from his daughter's husband."

Leo couldn't help but smile, "I'll try to remember that when Jo gets older."

Pike laughed and looked at him, "I could tell you about being on a ship that long or being a good officer but everyone has probably beat me to the punch." Leonard nodded, he's been getting advice all over the place. Pike continued, "I am gonna give you a piece of advice Leo: your most important job is to take care of your CO."

He looked at his father-in-law, "Sir?"

"What Jim needs, what she's always needed, is someone who isn't afraid to tell her the truth. Granted, you won't understand a lot of what she does as your CO but it'll usually be alright. However, there will come times when you have to call her out. In those moments where you think she needs to stop, not when you're scared but when you're sure that she needs to think through something a bit more, tell her. She might not be happy about it but she loves and respects you too much to ignore your feelings. Being the captain of a ship for long tours is the hardest job in the fleet. You aren't just a commander, your almost like a parent, everyone relies on you for something and it can be isolating. Her job is to look after everyone but your job is to look after Jim. There are gonna be hard days and times when it feels like you're all gonna die but don't let that turn you into people you aren't. Don't let the bad things you see define who you are," Pike told him.

Leonard nodded, "Yes, sir."

* * *

Leonard didn't recognize a lot of the people on the shuttle, at least he was sitting with Chekov and Carol; Doctor Marcus was one of the new officers going on this mission. Almost a fourth of the crew had to be replaced thanks to Harrison and Admiral Marcus. The biggest –but not really- surprise was that George was going with them. There were a bunch of civilian jobs on the ship and he took a spot as a research biologist. Jim teased him for a week since she didn't know if he was going for her or for Mitchell. She took to calling him 'Doctor Mitchell' when nobody was paying attention. He usually laughed it off but the last time she said it, he just looked at her then Gary before whispering 'not yet, but one day.' Leonard couldn't help but laugh at the looks on Jim and Gary's faces, priceless. Guess another wedding was on the horizon.

Leo got to the ship and went to change his uniform. He wasn't surprised to find Jim in their quarters, "Hey, darlin'. You alright?" She nodded but he knew better, "Jim, talk to me."

His wife looked at him, "I'm a little stressed. Okay, I'm a lot stressed." She started rambling about how she felt like she failed the last time they were in the black and how five years was a long time and she wondered how was she gonna keep everyone safe. Leo tried to keep up but she slipped into another language so he did the only thing he could think of, he kissed her and Jim melted in his arms. "Bones, what are you doing?"

Leonard chuckled as he ran his hands along her thighs and under that damn uniform dress, "I'm helping my wife relax before she walks onto the bridge in a ball of nerves." He pressed kisses along her jaw as he slowly slid the sexy little black boy shorts off her body.

She looked at him and smirked, "I see where you're going with this, Doctor." Leo chuckled and, without stepping away from her, quickly kicked off his boots, pulled his jumpsuit off, followed by his black undershirt and his boxer briefs, Jim pushed him onto the bed and straddled him.

"God, darlin'," he groaned when she slid onto him. His hands tightened on her hips as they moved together. He let her set the pace and enjoyed the feeling of her wrapped around him. "You know, I love this uniform."

Jim chuckled, "Oh… really?" He nodded, there was something about Jim dressed in her command gold uniform dress that made him want to devour her. "Len…" she was so close. Leonard took control as Jim's rhythm faltered, moving them faster. He reached up and pulled her down to kiss her. She tightened around him and fell apart, taking him with her.

"Feel better, darlin'?"

She nodded against his shoulder, "Yea."

Leonard smiled, "Good." They laid there for a moment before Jim hopped up.

"I better get moving." She checked her hair and almost ran out the door.

"Jim."

She turned and looked at him, "Yea?"

"Missing something?" he asked as he picked up her boy shorts off the floor. "I don't know how I'd feel if you gave everyone that much of a view."

Jim looked at him and laughed, "Oh my God. Can you imagine Chekov and Sulu's faces?" He nodded as she grabbed the small article of clothing and quickly pulled it on. "You might want to take a shower and get dressed. I'm gonna check on Sam and then I'll see you on the bridge." She gave him a kiss before leaving their quarters.

"God, I love that woman."

* * *

He managed to beat Jim to the bridge but only by a few minutes. How Chekov knew she was there, he still hasn't figured out, "Captain on the bridge."

Jim and George stepped off the turbolift together and the older Kirk looked around, "So this is where the magic happens? Nice."

Jim rolled her eyes and looked at Sulu, who was in the command chair, "Having fun in the chair, Mister Sulu?"

The helmsman chuckled, "Well, Captain does have a nice ring to it. The chair's all yours, ma'am."

George shook his head and looked at her, "You got 'em all wrapped around your finger, don't you?"

"Like you aren't wrapped around her finger, too," Leonard teased his brother-in-law.

Jim shook her head at them, "I can't help it if people recognize my awesomeness." She hit the comm to Engineering, "Scotty, my brilliant and amazing chief engineer, how we doin'?"

Scotty played along with her, "Well, my beautiful and badass captain, we are ready for a very long journey. Our new core is purring like a kitten."

Jim chuckled, "Excellent." Most people would be worried about her relationship with Scotty but it was so sibling-like that he didn't waste his energy. She looked at him, "Oh, Bonesy. Don't tell me that you're worried. It's gonna be fun."

He shook his head, "You know, you're the only reason I agreed to this. Five years in space. God help me."

George laughed, "See, wrapped around her finger."

Leo nudged his brother-in-law, "Watch it, Sammy."

"Men. You realize that you're all very lucky. It's good to have a family," Carol told them. Leonard knew that she wasn't going to get over what her father did for a while but if anyone could understand living in their father's shadow, it was Jim and George.

Jim looked at the other blonde, "I'm glad you could be a part of the family, Carol." They all knew that Jim meant every word of that. If he thought about it, they were all Jim's family. Yes, she had Pike, George and him but looking at Kevin, Mitchell, Spock, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura and Carol, he could see that together, there was nothing that they couldn't do. They were a family, a team.

He was so angry at the universe when Jocelyn cheated on him, divorced him and took his daughter away, he never thought that he'd be here. He never thought he'd be happy again. His dislike of being in space aside, he was happy. He looked over at his wife and smiled as she joked with George and Sulu. Jim caught him looking and winked at him before she looked at her first officer.

"What do you think, Spock? Where should we go?" Jim asked.

Spock looked at her, "As a mission of this duration has never been attempted, I defer to your good judgment, Captain."

Jim smiled, "Bones, any ideas?"

He shook his head, "You'll find some trouble for us to get into." Everyone on the bridge laughed, it was the truth.

Jim shook her head, "Alright, let's do this. Mister Sulu, take us out."

The tall officer nodded, "Aye, Captain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long, my husband came home from a nine month deployment this week, so I've been... busy. Yea, I'll go with busy. This is the last chapter but don't rule out a sequel... or the story from another point of view.
> 
> Thank you all for reading the craziness that bounces around in my head. Love ya. AJ


End file.
